Entanglement
by truephan
Summary: After PP. A dangerous creature takes it upon itself to balance the Ghost Zone; and it has set its sights on several of the most powerful ghosts who threaten it. Cover art by novachan. OCs, DxS, TxV. Rated 'T' for safety.
1. Chapter 1 A Tear in the Fabric of Order

**A/N: Happy New Year, everybodee…well, happy-getting-older-new-year, anyways! I hope y'all had a great Christmas and New Year's! I had such a good time—and gotten needled enough by a lot of my DP friends—that it was high time for me to get back to business when it came to writing about my fav character! And if you know me at all, you know that all of my stories are serial and interconnected to each other; and so, it should be no surprise to you when I tell you that there a few little spoilers if you haven't read my story,** ** _Gold Tested in Fire—_** **or my** ** _other stories,_** **for that matter(And don't be shy to review them all—it will help you to keep your New Year's resolutions-Uh-huh!) One of the important things to know about my story _Gold Tested in Fire_ (GTiF) is that all ghosts have a certain power level. Some ghosts are level one, or level two, etc. I explained the 'criteria' for a particular power level in that story (GTiF). In addition, I will re-introduce some OCs in this story that were introduced in earlier stories, so don't be alarmed if you don't know who those are. I will give you a little recap about that without boring you too much! Anyhooo, I also want everyone in the whole wide webworld to know that I'm dedicating this story to my sister, whose birthday happens to be today! HB, Sis-you're the BEST! And, of course, a HUGE thank you to my awesome beta, pearl84, for all of her priceless help; and to my just as AWESOME and great friend, Angelus-alvus, for helping me with the summary… And, oh, don't forget the silly little disclaimer that I don't own Danny Phantom or its cannon characters. But I DO own this story and any OC in it! Oh-oh, my clock says it's time for the show. Enjoy!**

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Entanglement

(Tangled in Terror!)

Chapter 1—A Tear in the Fabric of Order

"Yesss," a high, raspy-like voice slowly breathed in both discontentment and eagerness.

It sniffed the air.

"Yessss, it is true," its snake-like utterance repeated more excitedly and definitely; and the lasting echo of that sole word seemed to shake the dark spherical cave in which the voice dwelt along with evil and menace.

The glowing creature hurried to the oval entrance of the cave, which seemed to be suspended in the air. And in reality, it was, since anyone not familiar with the naked entrance would find themselves tumbling precipitously downward in a fate worse than…death.

However, the entrance to the dense, orb-shape body faced another much, much larger spherical body not too far from it. Each of their outer shells was made up of layers-upon-layers of thick, sticky, and rope-like material that looked similar to a ball of greyish-black yarn, only that these balls also had a diffuse glow to them. Though separate and of different size, each orb was nevertheless connected to each other by a few sparse but strategically placed thick greyish-black cords. And even though the smaller sphere seemed insignificant compared to the more _important and much larger_ one that the ghostly creature kept….outside of—and really, almost all _around_ —it, the smaller orb controlled the larger one.

In fact, the smaller spherical body was the creature's dwelling place, which could be likened to the pupil of a large eye; and like the pupil, it was dwarfed by and yet in front and center of this 'eye'. Only the smaller 'orb-like pupil' was not directly part of the larger 'eye'. It was attached to this 'eye' by only a few strands of webbing, as if the pupil had bulged outward from the rest of the 'eye' and the 'eye' was trying to keep it from escaping. Not only that, but the entrance of the smaller orb actually _faced_ the larger eye mass rather than looked away from it. And finally, the rest of the larger 'eyeball's' outer crust was made up entirely of a thick entangled webbing. Beyond and below that layer, there was another large area of empty space that surrounded and abutted a solid center that was for yet another purpose.

The creature, however, wasn't alarmed by how confusing the place seemed to be. It was at home here. Besides, it had planned it perfectly this way so that nothing would escape it…

The glowing beastie stuck its head out further and briefly surveyed the thickly woven cord connected to the short lower lip of the entrance before it sniffed the air again. A sinister smile grew wider on its gruesome beaked mouth.

"Too many, too many and all too ripe," the hollow, slightly apprehensive voice continued only to itself.

But then, the creature frowned slightly. For some odd reason, it had only a vague feeling, a mere whiff, about those…. _ghosts._

" _Strange_ ," the glowing entity mused as it sniffed the air some more.

It couldn't understand why those ghosts weren't detected before. For some inexplicable reason, it sensed that they weren't always _in_ the Ghost Zone and that they had only _recently_ reached enough power to rend the fabric of order. That is, _its_ _own_ order and no one else's. Still, how could it be?

The creature's mind shifted at suddenly feeling its hunger grow.

"Powerful ghosts, indeed," it concluded. There had to be a way to strengthen those nagging feelings into certain ones that could identify and, more importantly, _locate_ those lower beings…True, it knew it was only a matter of time to collect enough evidence, meager as it was; but the beast also knew that it could be impatient…

At the moment, the entity was so wrapped up in its current thoughts that it ignored the red or purple streaks of lightening that occasionally bathed the entrance to the cave in a surreal light. After all, the tangled cords abutting the atmosphere actually served another purpose: they actually _created_ the red and black lightning whenever there was the slightest bit of friction between them—which all too often occurred under the shifting weight of the glowing creature as it moved about its business.

Still, with each flash of lightning, the silhouette of the body connected to that snake-like voice twisted unnaturally in size and shape against the wall of the cave just behind it.

Because, in reality, the entity's glowing black hairy body almost filled up the entire oval entrance to the cave. And its frame wasn't at all serpentine as its voice suggested. Instead, it was actually stocky, with a belly that was as swollen and round as a fattened tick. Eight emaciated hairy legs also radiated out of that belly like straight pins placed symmetrically around a pin cushion. And its small head seemed to be plopped on top with no neck at all. In fact, for all intents and purposes, the creature resembled a giant ghostly spider more than anything else.

A huge mark shaped like an 'X' was proudly displayed under its abdomen; and it glowed in different colors every few seconds. Sometimes the mark glowed red, other times purple or blue. Then, it would meld into a bright green followed by yellow before returning to red. But no matter what color the light bathing the 'X' or slightly beyond it was at the moment, all of the glow radiated outward from a single glowing black gem that was embedded right at the crossroads of the two slanted lines that made up the 'X'.

And when the creature sensed what it wanted—and depending on its mood as well— the 'X' would glow a particular color or colors for longer periods of time. And right now, it was intermittently glowing red or green—like a traffic light that only commanded a 'go' or 'stop' signal—because it was in the midst of making a decision.

Eight pupilless yet eerily glowing eyes—which matched whatever color the entity's 'X' was at the moment—twitched oddly and moved separately in each of their sockets. Their all-encompassing glare penetrated the black atmosphere beyond the entrance of its lair. But then, all eight eyes jolted in one direction and turned fully red before they widened in anticipation with the solid thought now curling around the creature's brain.

"Yesss," it hissed yet again, though this time the sharp sideways beak that was its mouth clicked rather than sent its word echoing onward, since it was still at the entrance of the cave.

"Time…time," the ghostly spider then said as it turned back and re-entered its abode. It knew what it had to do to identify and find the ghosts which had it in such a snit.

The small entrance slowly expanded until it opened up into a large area. But that space there wasn't entirely opened. Instead—and like the outside of the entrance—it was clogged by a maze of thick, black gooey and glowing strings which crisscrossed each other to form a tightly and intricately woven web that also glowed. This was the creature's private web that it used for its own purpose and to prepare itself for any plan it hatched—like the one that just bubbled up from its brain….

The spindly legs alit onto one of the threads and shimmied up it much faster than the heavy body they bore suggested. Nevertheless, the weight displaced the thick threads adequately enough to set off a vibratory reaction along one of them.

Just then, all eight eyes of the creature zeroed in to a misshaped glowing cocoon that hung loosely from that string and had been jiggled hard enough from the vibration to shift slightly from its original position. It was very small compared to the size of the spider.

The ghostly being's beak mimicked a smirk as best it could at the sight, even though it really looked more hideous than anything else, especially when the long fangs that lurched beside the beak glistened in the duller glow of the red and purple lightning that suddenly skittered across the ceiling of the cave. The bundle had twitched some more; and in the light of the red and purple lightning that was still flashing periodically, it eerily seemed like a dead man swinging from a noose before a storm at dusk.

The creature's mouth clicked just before one of its front legs reached out for and stroked the cocoon as tenderly as a mother would her child.

Ironically, then, that the only thing that the ghostly spider had in common with a mother was that it was a _female_.

But then, just as the two-colored lightning flashed again, the silky sac seemed to sense her touch and it immediately recoiled from it.

The spider's mouth clicked up once more into a warped smile before she hissed almost lovingly, "There, there. No worriesss."

But she abruptly lunged at the bundle, cradled it into her arms and sunk her fangs into it!

The struggling creature swaddled inside of its sticky receptacle quickly slowed its movements until it was completely stilled.

The spider, however, didn't immediately let go of the cocoon; but instead, drank in more of its contents for several minutes until what was left was a mere shrunken version of its former self.

She wiped the excess ectoplasm off of her fangs with one of her front legs before slurping the rest into her mouth.

"Ready now," she said with more determination before she turned completely around and headed back to the entrance to her lair.

Once the female ghostly spider was at the lip of her cave once more, she stopped and sniffed the air yet again. Suddenly, she frowned. True, she could tell that the air had shifted and was no longer blowing from the north as it had been when she was last here. Not that this concerned her. After all, the wind haphazardly shifted from every direction in and in front of her cave, since it was in effect the center point of this entire region.

She frowned again as she checked the direction of the wind once more. It was now whooshing from the south, which was directly below her orb-shaped lair.

But there was something…. _more_ that disturbed her, especially when she didn't exactly know what was wrong. And all other thoughts concerning the ghosts she was searching for vanished…

She immediately leaned over to the right lower lip of her cave and grabbed one of the thick sticky threads attached to it before she pulled and held onto it with the small claws of one of her forelegs. Almost immediately, she let go, not unlike having plucked one of the strings of a violin.

The thick string had twanged in response before it set up a vibratory wave that shot away from the ghost spider. And yet, she was careful to lightly touch the same string immediately afterward.

Her sensitive claws, which were lightly coated in oil to keep her from sticking to her own web, analyzed the latent vibration of that string.

However, when the results did not give her the answer to her unsettling feelings, she scrambled to the left underside of the entrance and yanked on the large, thick web-string that was attached there with the same amount of force as the other before she in turn carefully touched that string immediately afterward.

The tingling under her foreleg was barely gone when all eight of her eyes flared red and widened at her discovery.

Without hesitating, the ghostly spider jumped onto that same thread and deftly slithered down it at such a fast clip that she actually looked as if she were flying.

She ignored the other individual threads sliding past her. Each of them steered a user through a certain pathway even among the myriad of countless thread paths that crisscrossed and dipped above or below it. As for the spider ghost, she could easily follow this map with all eight of her eyes closed.

However, she wasn't going to risk missing a thing. Her cluster of reddened eyes remained focused solely on the same thick silk thread either at the next immediate inch or for several feet ahead. Finally, she spied the area of her concern, which was located on the much larger spherical orb. She growled in displeasure as she quickened her pace.

She almost pounced upon her target and began to circle it. She had easily and readily detected that this area of her webbing wasn't right. But she dared not touch it until she could inspect it.

She sniffed the air while all of her red glowing eyes bore microscopically into the disarrayed, mismatched area.

" _Intelligent…thorough….but not perfect,"_ she mused as her eyes twitched in inspection.

Finally, one of her claws touched and then twisted the glowing grey thread that had all of her attention at the moment. It easily rent and she examined the damaged end.

Her mouth clicked in murmur, _"Ecto-laser….impressive repair."_

But then, she looked downward and past the tattered thread and saw a similar repair of even more previously broken webbing that progressively worsened the deeper it penetrated the huge eyeball-like mass. She could easily see the pathway as she slithered down to reveal a very small portion of the solid interior below; and all of her still red glowing eyes narrowed in irritation.

Yet again, she pulled at another damaged thread and slid the oiled tip of her forearm along it until she reached its end. The webbed cord then lit up before she brought the piece closer to what could be considered her nose.

"Not perfect indeed…hmmm, perhaps a level-six **[1]** ," she growled as she sniffed the torn webbing and then the air.

Her eyes narrowed as she continued to examine the strand. This time, however, she actually _took a bite_ out of it!

" _Odd_ ," she thought. The ghost that had invaded her territory was not an ordinary level six ghost…In fact, it seemed to be both ghost and _not a_ ghost. She had to learn more!

She pulled on the same strand and could tell by the tension in the thread that she was sure that it didn't matter what kind of ghost that odd ghost who had invaded her lair was. It was no threat...or was it, since it had been here?

Her eyes flashed at her next discovery. But she thought nothing of it at the moment since she fell right into the automatic routine of repairing the damaged webbing here. She could not delay it at all or else….

The ghost spider shot out a thin thread of glowing greyish silk from one of the four spinets in her abdomen and lowered herself into the hole she had made after inspecting this area. When she got to the end of the damage that was not done by her, she anchored herself just above the edge. Several sticky, yet silky, grey threads shot out of all four spinets in her abdomen this time before a few claws on her oily legs captured them and braided them into a single, thicker cord. With great speed and skill, she re-wove the thread with the existing and undamaged part of the thick web.

Her plan was simple: work her way back to the surface of the eyeball-like mass of webbing while slowly inching upward as she filled in and finished an open section.

As her legs busily knitted, her mind wandered back to her second discovery, only for her to grunt in a mixture of indignation and anger. She had, of course, already concluded that a level-six ghost had rent her web, and had started the damage from the outside and worked down to the inside of the partially hollow eyeball-like mass. Still, she was intrigued that that ghost had sloppily repaired it at the innermost layer of webbing it had to have last encountered getting to the solid part below it; but then had gradually mended it with more care as he—or she—got back to the surface of the immense ball of web. Obviously, that ghost didn't want to be discovered…But, more importantly, _why_ had a level six ghost even come here, much less have been able to _leave_ or even could conceal his —or her —escape?

Her ire flared from the next thought shooting through her brain as brightly as the red and purple lightning that struck nearby. She unconsciously tightened the last knot a bit more forcefully. How could she have not discovered this…event _sooner_? After all, she had easily discovered the attempt to escape by that former victim whose ecto-corpse was swinging lifeless in her lair…and that had been a level-six ghost as well…

Still, _how_ could that other less… _inferior_ creature have managed to escape her detection? Or better yet, why hadn't she actually _caught_ that ghost in the act of trying to break into her…fortress? She sighed a bit as if she had forgiven herself just a little. True, she had not been scheduled to make rounds on this section of her keep until much later than now. After all, this part was the strongest part of the stronghold. She frowned in disgust immediately afterward. But that was not the point. That ghost _shouldn't have_ been able to avoid her watch… And for that matter, what would that…that puny ghost want with what was in the center of the eyeball-like mass? He—or she—was a fool….

But as she finished off this section of the web, she thought again. No. That ghost wasn't a fool. It couldn't be, when it almost covered its tracks. No. It was very clever…and must have accomplished a…mission. But, its mission couldn't have had anything to do with that victim she had just devoured a few minutes ago, since that fool had tried to escape from the very opposite side of this area—and she had caught _him_ escaping from _below_ and not trying _to break in_ from above!

She paused in thought, now even more curious about that spectral creature—inferior as it still was. After all, it had been able so clever as to keep her ignorant of its doings. And clever enough to hide any evidence of his—or her—identity; for now, at least….

Her eyes narrowed in irritation. She suddenly needed to find out what its mission had been; and more importantly, if it had been successful. It was already irritating enough that she didn't know who that inferior ghostly burglar was; and yet, she had to admit that she admired his—or her—ingenuity.

Still, she also had her ways of finding out all that she wanted to know in spite of any ingenuity of any ghost or creature that was in or had ever been in her domain. After all, she knew everything about her keep: every inch of its webbed wall, how much space was allowed between that woven barricade and the solid center; and most importantly, all about the _inhabitants_ on that solid center.

Her mouth hitched into a hideous smirk as she chuckled at her next thought. Inhabitants? Ha! She should say: _prisoners_!

After all, she was their _guardian_.

Her face scrunched back up into what looked somewhat like a scowl when she refocused her thoughts. That was beside the point, since she was still infuriated about that ghost who dared invade her domain! Her face softened slightly at the very next idea.

She would find out about that ghost by visiting the solid center below her.

And she knew just which of the prisoners to interrogate… _He_ would be the _only_ one who would and even could possibly have a semblance of an idea as to why that inferior ghost had been there.

She knew exactly how to find that one, too. Even as the ghostly spider was hatching her plan, two sets of her front legs were already at work. While one set carefully disassembled the web to open a temporary path, another set was busy with quite another task.

The black gem within her abdomen glowed just before a thick silky but now _black_ string oozed out of her abdomen; and once again, the claws on that one set of forelegs deftly grasped it. This time, a black sticky ball was quickly forming between the two expert extremities as they twirled the ball between them.

Once the spider was satisfied with the size of the ball, she stopped spinning it and quickly connected it to more of the black sticky substance still shooting out of her abdomen. When she was done, she examined her work and smiled at the ball dangling from a long black sticky string, which looked a lot like a softer version of a ball-and-chain.

 _"The perfect tangle of terror,"_ she mentally snickered in admiration.

She suddenly hesitated. She could not remember when she had last used one of her powers…

The female creature growled in indignation even as she thought, _"Careful, now. Cannot have_ ** _them_** _know."_

Though she didn't want to think about it longer, she had to admit to herself that there could be…complications if the Observants or those other irritating _spirits_ found about what she was doing. But then again, she was so driven, she dismissed any further thoughts about them…

She grabbed the ball and brought it to her fangs. But she hesitated only a moment when her face suddenly puckered in concentration. A moment later, she regurgitated some yellow-greenish slime up from her abdomen and brought it to her mouth. She tasted the slime as if she were a connoisseur sipping a fine wine.

"Yesss. That is how he tastes," the spider said in satisfaction as her fangs glowed in recognition. She now knew she would not miss her target.

This time, she sunk her fangs into the ball of black webbing. But she wasn't intending to digest it as she usually did with old or unwanted webbing. Instead, she allowed a substance to leach out of her fangs and penetrate the ball.

The ghostly creature then took the 'homemade' contraption, which she called her 'ĉerko' **[2]** , and raised it above her head. And not unlike a hammer thrower at a track-and-field event, she expertly twirled the ball and string in a tight circle.

Faster and faster the thick thread and ball spun above the head of the black spider as it pushed more power into it with its front legs.

Suddenly, a purple and a red bolt of lightning dashed across the webbing above her and the spinning ball just as she had intended. The two bolts of lightning immediately struck the whirling ball; and its color instantly turned to fuchsia before a beam of the same color jutted out from it and a purple, red and black ghostly portal swirled into existence at the beam's end.

The glowing spider looked at the portal with some dissatisfaction. True, she really didn't need her ĉerko here in her domain, as she could easily slither down to the solid center. But she was so upset about the breach in her territory and driven by her hunger for those powerful ghosts, she was determined to make no errors in finding her target. Besides, the winged creature she wanted to find would have to be under her control from the start—even if it were temporary in _his_ case.

Usually, her ĉerko easily stripped its victims of their sensibilities for quite a while because it was impregnated with her poison. But what she was dealing with down below was not a typical victim. Like her, he was actually a _spirit;_ only that he and his race were really nothing like her, either. Still, she knew that it was best that she use her ĉerko when first dealing with him even if end he could rid himself of her poison almost immediately. Not that she worried about that. Her poison would confuse him enough so he would not be able to escape being captured and held tight by her ĉerko, just as he was not able to escape the prison she had woven. And if he got too sassy, she could always jolt him with the electricity in the atmosphere which she controlled.

Suddenly, more lightning enveloped the spider and pulled her from her thoughts before it seemed to race upward and bounce off of her upper body, only to infuse its raw, powerful its energy into the thread within its forelegs.

Cackling a bit at her success and then talking to the now glowing dark fuchsia ball as if it were alive, she commanded with more words than she usually uttered and also with words she only used when addressing herself, "Go. Find what she wants. Secure it. Signal her with a jolt when done."

With a ghostly cry, she finally catapulted the radiant deep reddish-purple ball through the portal, but still hung onto its glowing black thread as if she had flung a life preserver attached to a rope into the water. She fed more and more thread to it as it penetrated the portal and traveled onward.

All the while, the black ghostly spider settled into a comfortable position within this part of the web, lying in wait.

"Hunting time," she almost purred as she looked over her still glowing body and its vibrant black gem, and smugly addressed only herself, "Dearest Ĉasista." **[3]**

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 **[1] Based on the Fantomos Ecto-Scale discovered in my story, "Gold Tested in Fire". (winks. Go ahead and read it** — **you know you want to!)**

 **[2] Esperanto for 'coffin'. I'm absolutely thrilled to find an exotic name for this newest contraption and since I think it really almost acts like a coffin, it was only natural to name it 'ĉerko'!**

 **[3] Made-up female equivalent for the Esperanto word for 'huntress'. The actual word is** ** _ĉasisto_** **, which means hunter; and there didn't seem to be an Esperanto word for 'huntress'. But I thought it was the perfect name for this ghost spider and so voilà! And just so you are clear about her, Ĉasista _never_ uses the first person pronouns when she talks about herself or her wishes.**

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 **A/N: I hope you liked this chapter and make it your NEW New Year's resolution to write your lovely ideas about in that convenient little box below! Also, we'll get to Danny and friends shortly, but not immediately. It's important to set some stuff set up before we get to the juicy middle of that ecto-being in the cocoon...uh, ewww? LOL My brain burped and Ms. Hyde had to say something! Oh, you don't know who Ms. Hyde is? She is the evil muse to my Dr. Truephan Jekyll persona! In any case, I hope you join me as the rest of the story continues! As for now, thank you for reading and I hope to hear from you soon!**


	2. Chapter 2 Valuable Information

**A/N: I hope I didn't confuse too many of you with the last chapter. If I didn't, good; if not, then you might get confused** — **or even more confused as the case may be** — **in THIS chapter. You see, I have to set up a lot of stuff before we get to Danny and his friends in more detail, so I hope you don't think this story is all about OCs and no one else. It's just that these OCs are important to the story. So, please be patient and just have fun getting to know these OCs. Just so you know, the OC** **Ĉasista is making her first appearance in this story. The second OC, who is being re-introduced in this chapter, has already appeared in my last story. And as my always-awesome beta, pearl84, pointed out to me *smacks forehead* (thanks pearl, I needed that!), I wrote my last story a few years ago, so I can't expect any of y'all to have 1. Read it and 2. Read it and remembered all of it!** **So, let me explain a bit right now so when more explanation occurs below, you won't be totally lost. First of all, Sam has acquired spirit powers that I covered in another story. It gives her telepathic and telekinetic powers. It also has awakened her natural empathetic ability (that is, her ability to sense what others are feeling underneath of what they are saying). Danny and Tucker also have telepathic powers from the encounter in that same story (Shadow of a Doubt). And our fav trio has already dealt with the OC in this upcoming chapter in a past story (Gold Tested in Fire (GTiF)). When the OC has flashbacks, it is from that encounter in GTiF. Also, as you saw from the summary, Danny and Sam are dating and Tucker and Valerie are dating. Finally, I didn't want to bore you with explaining the power levels of all the ghosts because I devoted an ENTIRE story to that (GTiF). You'll do fine with this story as long as you know that each ghost has been assigned a particular power level.**

 **Whew, glad that's over because it sure was a mouthful and now I need to go drink something! XD. Anyways, I hope y'all are ready for Chapter 2. Remember the mantra: I don't own anything about Danny Phandom except this story and OCs!**

 **FINALLY, I want to wish my very good friend, Angelus-alvus, a VERY happy birthday one day early. I dedicate this chapter to you for two very good reasons: for your birthday and, heh-heh, you'll see when you read what this chapter is about. Enjoy!**

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Entanglement—Chapter 2—Valuable Information

The school day was fast approaching an end as Sam Manson sat glancing at the clock in her last class for the tenth time. She and her boyfriend, Danny Fenton, and their best friend, Tucker Foley, had already agreed to meet in the gym after school to wait for Tucker's girlfriend, Valerie Grey.

As usual, Valerie had to stay after school to finish up some kind of extra credit work to make up for the class work she had missed because of her _extracurricular_ activities. Her job at Nasty Burger and ghost hunting with her friends usually ate up all of the time she needed to do her homework.

Sam sighed when the minute hand seemed to speed up with her slight anxiety about meeting up after school. Not that she minded waiting for Valerie. Besides, lately the dark-skinned girl didn't have too much to make up after school because there hadn't been that many ghost attacks in the last several weeks.

The black-haired girl frowned as she asked herself, " _Just why hasn't there been that many ghost attacks lately?_ " She then groaned at her next thought, _"I sure hope it's not for_ _ **that**_ _reason, though with the way things have been lately, I wouldn't be surprised."_

Just then, her thoughts were interrupted with the bell signaling the end of the class—and the end of the school day.

As the girl rushed to her locker, she began to feel guilty about her thoughts before the bell rang and goaded herself, _"Okay, Sam, you have to be_ _ **sure**_ _before things change. Until then, you have to be patient."_

That thought calmed her a bit and she smiled when she saw her boyfriend approaching. After all, she had to admit that he was smiling more and more lately.

However, this time, Danny had a very mischievous smile on his face, when suddenly he asked her, _"Ready?"_ Only that, he had thrown that question at her _telepathically._

" _Sure, let's go_ ," she cheerfully answered back to his mind, though she was slightly annoyed that he had 'spoken' to her mentally without her permission. After all, they had decided several months ago to only use their special power when they both agreed to use it or when it was an emergency. Though it was neither case this time, she was still kind of glad when he did that because at that moment, she…sensed something _definite._

Still, she sloughed it off as he grabbed her hand; and they headed toward the gym.

Tucker was already in the gym when they got there because his last period was free this semester. And as usual, he was fiddling with his PDA.

All three friends ignored the few kids here and there who were also milling around in the gym at the moment.

"So, ready for a round of 'horse', Tuck?" Danny chuckled, referring to their playing a common very short game of basketball while waiting for Valerie.

Before his friend could answer, Danny had already gotten a basketball and run over to his friend.

Sam rolled her eyes, but said nothing when her boyfriend began to bounce the ball.

"Only if you ease up a little," Tucker playfully bantered when he shoved his PDA in his pants pocket and readied himself for the challenge.

As he shot the ball between his legs and caught it from behind while still bouncing it, Danny said with a short laugh, "Well, you know how hard that's going to be now that I'm a level-nine ghost."

But neither boy had seen that their female friend had rolled her eyes again shortly after Danny had said that.

Danny immediately rushed his male friend, jumped up into the air and sunk a basket with such strength that when the ball hit the floor under the basket, it rocketed over to a small group of kids several yards away.

"Hey, watch it!" one of the boys in the group growled when the ball hit him from behind.

"Sorry, must have lost control over it," Tucker apologetically said, covering for his friend's misjudgment in his strength as he retrieved the ball. "I'll be more careful, okay?"

Mollified, the boy nodded and went back to his business.

"Danny!" Sam said with a little exasperation in her voice. "You have to be more careful! Don't forget that you have a secret to keep."

"Hey, I am being careful, Sam," he replied a bit too flippantly, "And can I help it if my ghost strength has enhanced my human strength, too? You should be happy that I don't have to take any steroids!"

But before she could reply, Tucker came back with the ball.

Danny immediately retrieved the ball from his friend and teasingly said, "That's an 'H', Tuck. Ready for more?"

"You bet!" Tucker excitedly said as they ran toward the basket.

And as the boys played their game to pass the time, neither of them noticed that Sam had crossed her hands over her chest and grunted under her breath when Danny was beating the pants off of Tucker….

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ĉasista's glistening ball of fuschia-colored webbing penetrated quickly downward toward its goal. Its relentless pursuit was in stark contrast to the ever-changing, even violent atmosphere surrounding it. The _ĉ_ _erko_ seemed to ignore the heavens even as they changed from all violet to all green to all black in color before changing yet again, as if someone was constantly spilling a can of paint before another can of a different color would pour on top of that one, waves and waves of other colors bleeding into the next, ever churning, ever threatening even in the throes of their pandemonium….

Still, the glowing ball sped downward through the thick sky of the _Sfero de Ĥaoso_ **[1]** as deftly and determinedlyas a frenzied bloodhound hot on the scent of its prey. It moved with such stealth and swiftness that it caught its target completely unawares.

The webbed glowing ball then practically exploded into the winged _spirit_ it had sought so faithfully, fully enveloping it almost instantaneously while driving the electricity and poison stored within it right into its victim as violently as a viper.

Meanwhile, Ĉasista's victim cried out in alarm at both his surprise and the shock he had received from Ĉasista's ball; but his yell was quickly muffled. The winged spirit known as an _Angelus_ **[2]** fell into a momentary stupor, forgetting the musings that had been filling his brain just before this attack.

Ĉasista knew along that the Angeluswas almost immune to her poison and that his forced slumber would be brief. But, of course, she didn't care because she knew that it was enough time for the sticky threads of her ĉerko to quickly unwind themselves from the diminishing ball and tightly rewrap themselves around their victim until he was secure in a cocoon before he could resist.

And, indeed, she had not been wrong.

The Angelus stirred almost as soon as he was secured. At first, he was slightly numbed and rattled from the effects of the poison. However, when he realized what had happened, he grunted in anger just as a red glow of his resistance suddenly surrounded the webbed pouch.

Just like every Angelus who dwelt in this realm, he knew that as his fury flared, his entire appearance would change as his emotions changed.

But unlike his kin, his emotions and thoughts wouldn't violently change every few moments and keep him in a continuing chaotic flux that would overwhelm his every action like they had before—even if it were how all the rest of his kin still were.

This time, his lack of _control_ would last not as long as it had in the past; and his thoughts could focus on some kind of purpose and even logic rather than completely overwhelm him _and_ his actions. And that was because of what he experienced a few months ago…Suddenly, the memory he knew only too well—and never really left him—captured his mind as strongly as the bonds surrounding him…

 _It all started shortly after he had been released from another powerful ĉ_ _erko made of ghostly steel and_ _ **not**_ _webbing._

 _He had then found himself in a strange place with no one but_ _what in his language he called a_ _ **iuvenes humano idolon**_ _, that is, a young human ghost. At the time, he hadn't care to know why this young human ghost_ — _no,_ _ **half-ghost**_ — _had suddenly come under his power because he had been too upset about his capture and release—especially when he had desired to take revenge upon the being who had taken him from his home. But yet again, his emotions had compellingly swayed those thoughts and his decisions once he had seen and sensed the strong energy within that young ghost within his grasp, which just as easily made him give into his…hunger._

 _And it had been so easy to rip that energy out of the pitiful young ghost when, suddenly, the winged spirit's jumbled thoughts had been interrupted by a strange female voice, which somehow knew the name he was using for himself at the time._

 _At first, he had thought he had imagined it, especially when he had_ _ **not ever**_ _had a thought that had sounded as if_ _ **a female**_ _had spoken them…_

But then, Angelus' thoughts refocused on his current dilemma and he pulled at his bounds. He grew angrier and his already red aura flared brighter when he couldn't shake his emotions about that _female._ He knew all along that she had not been Ĉasista.

"I wish I knew of her name and from whence she came so that one day I might both thank and kill her!" he grumbled as he steadied himself from the last yank on his webbed pod.

"And I still do not understand how she could have controlled my mind," he continued with some restlessness.

Was she another spirit? She must have been, though he still didn't understand why a spirit would be interested in saving a _human_ ghost. After all, he knew that humans were the lowest creatures and certainly no match for spirits.

Little did he know that the female in his recollection was Sam Mansion, and she had been the one to trick him into releasing her boyfriend—whom he didn't know was Danny Phantom-with her telepathic and telekinetic powers she had long since acquired from another race of spirits. So, all the Angelus knew was that some _powerful female_ had _stolen_ his prey from him. [3] And since he did not know her name, he had to settle into calling her _Ad Femina_ [4] until he could ever encounter her again.

The Angelus then frowned. It no longer mattered since she was not responsible for his current predicament.

Nevertheless, as he continued to struggle with his bonds, the memory of the firsttime he had heard that _female's_ voice leaked out, and was as clear now as it had been then…

" _Do you hear me, Angelus-argentum?_ _ **[5]**_ _Listen to me if you do! Aren't you tired of all these mixed-up emotions that keep you a slave to your realm?"_

He remembered that he had startled momentarily at the Esperanto language clanging in his head and unwittingly released the young human ghost, who had immediately slumped to the ground.

 _"_ _What is this?"_ _Angelus-argentum_ _had replied in surprise before he had searched his mind_ _. "A strange thought that has the voice of a female and in the language of The Others?"_

He had known that somehow she had known that he had been referring to the Observants when he had mentioned 'The Others'. After all, many ghosts spoke Esperanto.

 _"_ _How do you know that I'm not just one of the many random thoughts that I'm sure torment you?" the female had_ _nonchalantly answered back, speaking in English then._

Once again, he had been taken aback by the memory. True, he had never been able to hold a thought for long before another would clash with it; and his emotions, though intense and every-changing and overwhelming as his thoughts, were really limited in scope. But this memory was so very different. How could he, a spirit, be having what he thought were bizarre thoughts and feelings? He didn't understand it then and really still couldn't understand it all now.

But at the time, he had realized that he had felt no emotion coming from that feminine thought, as he always had with _any other_ thought; and so, he knew that that 'thought' was not of his origin. He remembered growing angry, even wanting revenge on this _feminan_ **[6]** creature who had dared invade his mind.

He was glad he had countered that voice, _"You cannot be of my own thoughts, for you do not speak in the Angelus language as I would expect. How are you here…within me? And how is it that you speak the young half-ghost's language as well as that of The Others?"_

 _But the female had calmly replied, "_ _It doesn't matter how I am here. It's more important that I am here—to offer you a_ _ **choice**_ _!"_

The spirit briefly stopped struggling against the ĉerko; and he didn't realize that the red aura around him and his anger had disappeared when the memory of that word echoed in his mind and seemed to shake him to his core.

 _Choice_.

It was both a curse and a blessing for him now. Before that encounter with the strange female, his choices, his decisions, had never lasted but for very brief moments—if that— when now they not only lingered, but they also gave him a sense of…purpose that he had never experienced before. It did give him some…peace to know that he could also now give clearer direction to his fellow spirits, the Angeli ,and to the _Parvuli_ **[7]** ,the creatures which had once been human ghosts and now kept company with and depended on the Angeli for sustenance….And he suddenly thought he could no longer will any revenge on that mysterious _Feminan_ …

A moment later, however, he was startled out of his thoughts when he could feel pressure surrounding and even tugging at him, even when he was still secured within Ĉasista's webbed cage. But he then relaxed and even smiled a bit when he realized that since his anger was gone and he was now Angelus _-alvus_ **[8]** once more rather than Angelus _-iratus_ **[9]** , his silent Parvuli were no longer afraid to be near him. He knew that they were now tearing at the cocoon with their clawed fingers and were trying to free him!

Even though he knew they would not be able to answer him, the winged spirit said almost tenderly in the Angeli's native language, _"Hoc est, mi parvuli: ut bene fecisti mihi!"_ **[10]**

But then, he felt a very large jerk which threw him—and his Parvuli— off balance. In the next instant, the Angelus also realized by the sound of the little multiple _thumpings_ followed by stillness that something had startled the Parvuli into breaking off their rescue and that his webbed jail was being pulled upward and away from the surface.

Angelus- _alvus_ cursed under his ghostly breath as his aura briefly flared red when he could guess what that 'something' was. He was also a little irritated with himself for getting momentarily caught up in his thoughts instead of concentrating on breaking free—though, if he were honest with himself, he knew that he still had the tendency to have his mind wander in spite of his new abilities after his encounter with that strange female voice.

Still, he renewed his efforts to break free, even when he knew that it was very obvious by now that the vibrations that he and his Parvuli sent up on the tether connected to his cocoon had already alerted the Guardian and she was reeling him in as masterfully as an experienced fisherman landing that fighting fish!

Angelus _-alvus_ nevertheless concentrated and his aura suddenly glowed brown with the determination and his appearance changed yet again from his more permanent state. All that was encasing his mind and strengthening his efforts was for him to break free.

But just as his aura brightened in pink with the encouragement now flooding his mind when he could feel the sticky webbing yielding to his strength, his eyes were blinded and his body electrocuted by a large bolt of red lightning directed from the atmosphere into his cocoon to quell his efforts.

He screamed in pain at the shock, which both befuddled him and knocked the fight out of him. His aura was no longer pink but white; and his appearance then returned to that more permanent state:

His hair — which had full bangs just above his eyes, but the rest of which was long, thick and straight, and flowed down his back until it ended nestling around the top crest of his hips —and satiny large wings were now whiter than bleached cotton.

His floor-length robe with full-arm length sleeves were now mostly blue in color. However, starting at the center of and under the robe's squared neckline and chest piece while plunging straight down the front part of the robe was a very narrow strip made of a lighter shade of blue. That thin line glowed brighter than the spirit or its gown and seemed to point the way to the bottom of the robe, where it ended in what could only be described as a sapphire-colored sun which seemed to be afire. Four thick blue rays shot up from that sun, only that those rays never reached above the bottom third of the front of the gown. The rest of the gown flared out in pleat-like yet seamless folds of different shades of blue toward the sides and back.

A similar glowing pastel blue belt girted the male spirit's waist. The sleeves of the robe matched the color of the front part of the robe and tightly hugged most of the length of his arms before fanning slightly outward from the mid-forearm down. That portion of each sleeve also had pleat-like yet seamless folds of different shades of blue.

His hands and fingers were long and slender; only that the ghostly flesh covering them was pale peach in color. But the long fingernails jutting out from his fingertips were blue.

Angelus _-alvus's_ face was also a pale peach in color, yet it was very smooth without even a hint that it had ever grown a beard, which only accentuated his angular features, thin anemic lips, and large, oval-shaped and fiery red eyes devoid of pupils. In spite of his youthful appearance, Angelus-alvus was a full-grown Angelus.

Ironically, the shock had not only confused him, but it also calmed him to the point that when he regained his senses moments later, he suddenly smirked a bit. He was always serene in this form, which also helped him gather his thoughts —and, more importantly — _control_ his thoughts and emotions.

All of his thoughts then focused on whom he knew had captured him.

" _What does_ _ **she**_ _want of me?"_ he mused to himself. _"I have done nothing of which I am not already allowed to do here in the_ _Sfero de Ĥaoso."_

He searched his mind, now easily throwing out any competing chaotic thought that constantly bombarded any other Angelus _._

The spirit paused briefly at that thought. He had always been different than the others —more now, however, than in the past. He had always been their leader, the only one who had ever been capable of controlling his emotions, if it were but briefly in the light of eternity spent at this place. But now, he was even more unique because he could control his emotions and thoughts for what seemed eternity in this place, which brought him…peace of mind.

Suddenly, his aura shuddered and momentarily flared yellow in fear when he was aware of a female voice again filling his mind. However, he had instantly known that it was not _Ad Femina_ _ **[4]**_ who had made him stop attacking the young human ghost a few months ago in that other realm _._ No, this female voice was the only one he had known before that encounter: the _Guardian_ of this realm _._ And, irritatingly, she was addressing him with the pet name she had given him.

" _Which of you are you today, Angelus-primis_ _ **[11]**_ _? Hmmm…Interesting. Oh,_ _Ĉasista ssees_ _…It is a very different Angelus today, is it not? Though this one is a new one of which_ _Ĉasista_ _does not know,"_ the echoing female voice almost cooed only within his mind.

She enjoyed teasing him because she knew he was the _only_ Angelus that had a name—even if he would change it as often as his thoughts and emotions changed.

Though Angelus- _alvus_ could feel himself morphing into his Angelus _-iratus_ form with his mounting anger, he resisted it as best he could by projecting his ire onto the creature clamped into his mind. He mentally hissed, _"Who is this invading my thoughts?"_

" _Tsk-tsk, pet. Have patience!_ _Ĉasista_ _will be more forthright in ssspeaking to you as you prefer,"_ she said with fake soothing.

No sooner had she said that when the captured winged spirit saw and heard the upper part of his cocoon being pulled away in much the same manner as a child would slurp up a softened piece of spaghetti.

The Angelus watched Ĉasista devour the last of that webbing before trying to move. Angelus-alvus grumbled under his breath and immediately knew that only his head and shoulders were exposed and that his arms were still pinned at his sides as well as his wings within the rest of the webbed sac. He glanced downward quickly and saw that he was secured tightly in place. His cocoon was also wedged within the inner crust of the webbing making up the very large orb that encased the _Sfero de Ĥaoso_.

That could only mean that Ĉasista was not paying a casual visit. Though Angelus-alvus knew that he would not be able to resist her power even with his stronger ability to control his thoughts and emotions, he was determined not to cooperate all the same. He frowned in slight confusion with the solid feelings that surrounded that thought. He was still awed at his ability to decide so definitely now, when he hadn't been able to do before his encounter with _Ad Femina_ _._

At first, the glowing black spider didn't say anything, which slightly unnerved the winged spirit, especially when her huge size was hovering over him.

Instead, Ĉasista was studying her captive as she had not seen him in this form before, especially when he wasn't changing like all Angeli frequently did since their thoughts and emotions were always swaying them. Though she hadn't forgotten about seeking information from him about what had invaded her domain, she couldn't help but be both curious and eager to find out more about the winged spirit's newest — and apparently — _more permanent_ appearance. She suddenly smacked what would be likened to lips as she remembered how the webbing around the Angelus had tasted. It was also new and even more pleasant than her other…samplings…Yes, this was the way she would get the useful information out of him, which, would still be useful to her ultimate purpose.

Finally, she drew much closer to the Angelus _;_ and with all eight of her eyes never straying from his, she almost purred to him, "Ah, pet, Ĉasista has never been able to make out the details of any Angelus before as she is right now. Your race really could be quite beautiful if only you could control yourselves, which you know is impossible!"

Angelus-alvus narrowed his eyes in irritation but didn't say anything…And he also had noticed that he hadn't changed in appearance even when he was irritated.

But he didn't realize that _Ĉasista_ had also noticed that.

Her spider beaks hooked upward in a grotesque smile as she coolly said, "Interesting, is it not, pet, that you seem so…settled for some reason. And Ĉasista has been able to taste which you are right now. And it is much sweeter and pleasant than any other kind you possess. It is very alluring for sure. How is that so, Angelus _-_ _ **alvus**_?"

Once again, the captured winged spirit said nothing, but he was beginning to grow fearful when he could see from the slime dripping from her spider mouth that she was anticipating more of a…sampling from him. Was this the only thing she wanted?

Though he didn't invite her to answer his question, he knew too well that the Guardian of _Sfero de Ĥaoso_ would often feast a little on the Angeli if she could not trap others more to her suiting. And, she had told him in the past that each _Angelus_ tasted unique to her and even had variations of their…flavor when they were morphing into their various states. She would often pick out her 'favorite' on occasion only to draw enough energy from any of the Angeli to satisfy her without ever completely destroying them.

The ghostly spider also trapped various other ghosts who were unlucky enough to wander into the area near this realm or get trapped by the webbing surrounding their world or Ĉasista's lair. She would either feast on them herself, or throw them down into the Angeli's abode, as a master would a bone to her dogs. After all, the Parvuli had to come from _somewhere_.

Still,Angelus- _alvus_ did not understand why Ĉasista never destroyed one of his kind unless one had somehow been able to escape from this place. He also didn't understand why she frequently made it a point to find _him_ after — or sometimes, even before — her doings. He was completely puzzled as to why she wanted to keep him abreast of any business that had nothing to do with him.

Little did he know that it was because she already knew he was the most unique and intelligent of the Angeli _,_ the only one who could best command his emotions —even when she hadn't known until this point that he had _much improved_ on the latter. He had also always been able to communicate the most coherently. The other of his kin would be so caught up in their ever-changing emotions and thoughts that it was almost like listening to radios that were constantly being changed to another channel. Not only that, but their emotions ruled their actions to the point that they had no sense of…purpose. And that meant that they were undoubtedly reckless and lost creatures.

Not so with _this_ Angelus.

She had to admit that she had a small amount of admiration for this one, because she could actually converse with a spirit who was slightly more likely than all of the other Angeli to _listen and even think_ before he acted. True, he wasn't nearly as powerful as her; and their conversations _were_ still limited by his race's weaknesses and his forced subordination. But he was a spirit, which meant he was worth her interest, especially when she felt he was even a bit entertaining and intriguing to her.

Nevertheless, and even though Angelus-alvus was conflicted whether her wanting only a sample from him would be good or bad, he couldn't help but morph to reflect his fear.

His gown was now various shades of yellow and his hair and wings were now a pale orange in color. He was no longer Angelus _-alvus,_ but Angelus _-timor_ **.[12]**

Ĉasista smiled only to herself. She was getting to him —and she _really did_ want another taste of him for more than one reason. Still, she added with a little bit of feigned disappointment, "Tsk-tsk, pet. You are more delicious as Angelus _-alvus,_ not as Angelus _-timor._ You forget that she has sampled the webbing that surrounds you and it has revealed that your new _Angelus_ is much sweeter!"

Even though his thoughts were scrambled because of his panic, the winged spirit's form flashed momentarily into his angry form before returning to his more frightened persona. Still, he was somehow able to defiantly yell, "I will not allow you to touch me!"

A raspy, hollow laugh suddenly clamored in his ghostly brain after Ĉasista took advantage of his chaotic moment before the female voice hissed, _"Do not flatter yoursself, pet! You know that your efforts would be futile! But your purpose is more…unique this time. Though really, as you well know, your purpose is alwayss unique. Ĉasista needs your astuteness."_

Suddenly, the fact that the spectral spider _didn't_ want to sample any more of him and that she had seemed to have flattered him actually calmed the winged spirit; and he morphed back into his _Angelus-alvus_ persona. And with the change, his thoughts refocused to a mixture of resolve and suspicion. He suddenly felt she had _no right_ to demand anything of him — even when he was her prisoner….

That thought actually frightened him a little because it was absolutely _new_ …Then, another memory instantly flashed before his mind's eye…that of that young human half-ghost… _he_ had the _same kind_ of resolve the Angelus was feeling right now.

Somehow, that thought pleased the winged spirit and he squared his chin in defiance, struggled with his bonds, and actually severed the mental ties with the female spirit.

All eight of the spider's eyes widened in surprise. This Angelus had never displayed this emotion or power to sweep away their mental connection before…She now wasn't so sure that his Angelus _-alvus_ form was such a benign thing…Still, it struck her that his new persona might actually be the clue about what she had come here in the first place…

She immediately shrouded what could be called her face in inscrutability as she coolly replied, "Ĉasista is amused, pet, but sshe does not wish to further harm you…as she said, she needs your astuteness. Ĉasista knows that nothing here escapes your notice."

Angelus-alvus frowned even when what she had just said was true. He still was determined not to cooperate. He carefully said, "What of it? All is the same here."

Though her voice remained calm, inside, the spider was already beginning to lose her patience, especially since somehow, he was still being able to block her telepathic powers. "Ah, but perhaps your memory or your keenness has been compromised by your _newest_ persona, Angelus _-primis_. And you also know that nothing escapes Ĉasista's own notice as well."

"Then what need do you have of me?" he dared to counter. "Obviously, you have wasted your time. So, leave me in peace, since I have nothing to offer you!"

"Peace? Peace?" she cackled before she growled with impatience, "How can you ever know _peace_ , worm? Something inexplicable _hass_ happened to you or else you would not be able to be so forward as now. Nor would you be able to have the strength to keep a form so steady and strong. Your change has _not_ come from this realm! There is a reason for it that you will tell Ĉasista!"

But the Angelus remained silent.

At this point, Ĉasista wanted to bite his head off, but that would not serve her purpose. She had other means to persuade him. In the meantime, she could not let him see how much he affected her. And yet, more importantly, she still needed some answers about the ghost that had invaded this realm.

She changed strategies; and said softly, "She knowss that there has been a breech in the outer crust. And there is a lack of balance in the cosmos…That should be of concern for you and your kin, for there are other creaturess who roam outside that could threaten you. She has repaired the tear, so there are no worriess. But, were you…aware of anything or anybody who did not belong here, even if for a moment? She cannot have any creature harm her pets."

Her eyes narrowed when she saw her prisoner tighten his lips. She was now more irritated that he hadn't changed his form yet. Could he really control himself like that? If so, he might become a nuisance.

The spectral spider was on her last straw of patience as she warned, "Ĉasista will press upon you if you do not answer her, Angelus _-alvus!"_

But she didn't give him time to answer. She suddenly thrust her two forelegs and grasped his shoulders that were still not covered in webbing. But almost instantaneously, she shrank back when her claws had brushed his aura. There was something…odd about it, odder than the fact that it had stayed white for the most part and hadn't changed to many colors since she had caught the Angelus.

What could be called the spider's face quickly lit up in delight at what she had discovered—something she had derived from one of her many special powers. Though she gathered more than a whiff of evidence, she needed to be sure about it.

She immediately lunged for the Angelus yet again; but this time, the claws on her two forelegs purposely grasped his ghostly _aura_ and began to _pull_ on _it_.

Angelus-alvus grunted helplessly in immense pain when he felt the spider actually rent and tear off part of his aura.

Then pulling the piece of the Angelus' aura between her two forelegs as if it were warm taffy, all eight of Ĉasista's eyes seemed to devour it in examination before she actually sunk her spidery teeth into it.

Her eyes bugged out when it confirmed what she already had suspected. And that only meant that the Angelus _did know_ what she came here for.

She turned back to him; and practically shoving her face into his, the spider's voice teemed with threat as she said, "SSoo, pet, you know you cannot hold anything from Ĉasista! Some…odd ghost has been here and encountered you."

This time, the Angelus, who had morphed back to his Angelus- _iratus_ persona, angrily replied, "You give us many ghosts as our food here and we, then, encounter many. As you know, too, our Parvuli were once human ghosts."

"Do not be sso coy, Angelus- _primiss_ ," she hissed with irritation. "Your aura betrays you! And you well know of Ĉasista's ability to detect scentss of all ghosts that have ever encountered another as well as those who…interest her!"

Angelus remained quiet. He did know about his guardian's unique ability to 'read' auras. Once auras of all spectral beings touched another in more than a casual way—be it through a battle or some other more significant way—each aura would absorb the other's bit of unique scent, or DNA as it were. That scent could be lasting or fade almost instantaneously, depending on the intensity of the encounters. And since he recently had had several and intense encounters with two particular ghosts who did not reside in this realm, it was possible that Ĉasista had detected them…But he was also sure that she couldn't have missed the evidence of a particular, level-six ghost whom he had fought at least twice recently! He could not forget that ghost, especially since he was impressed with his abilities.

Still, the Angelus wasn't willing to make it easy for the spider and just spill it all out. After all, he was a bit ashamed that such a low ghost as that one had actually been able to capture him, a spirit! True, he had to forgive himself a bit because he wasn't able to control his emotions and actions for much longer than a typical Angelus at that time, and so, he would have been easy…prey. Suddenly, he mentally frowned at his next thought. He was not so easy prey anymore…and it was all because of … _Ad Femina_ who had invaded his mind in the Real World…and that ghost whom had once captured him! They had taught him well.

But before he could rid himself of those thoughts, Angelus-alvus screeched in pain when he felt something sharp penetrate his left shoulder!

He could feel his mind begin to grow numb as Ĉasista's poison seeped through his spectral veins. No matter how much he tried, he could not resist the pounding he now felt in his head; or the fact that his form had morphed. He was no longer Angelus-alvus. His spectral skin was grey; and his clothing, hair and wings were totally black. Totally helpless, he was now Angelus- _imbecillis._ **[13]**

" _Who is this ghost who is somehow not a ghost as well?!"_ her mind telepathically demanded of his.

Now that the Angelus could feel his chaotic thinking take over his brain under even more of the spider's venom that was pouring into him, his will to resist began to wane. He knew that he would be obeying her in short order. Still, he was confused about her question and found himself replying mentally to her, _"Ghost who is not a ghost?"_

" _SHE is no longer amused, worm,"_ she mentally screamed. " _You know the ghost who is also not a ghost! Answer her, or she will destroy you!"_

Now fully under her control, Angelus' wandering mind asked himself for an answer, _"A ghost who is not a ghost? A ghost who is not ghost?_ " A foggy picture formed in his mind as he mentally slurred, _"He is a-a g-ghost who h-hunts!"_

" _What? And then what did he want with you of all beings?"_ she telepathically demanded.

Though he was getting dizzier by the millisecond, the Angelus mentally stuttered, _"F-For h-his own purposes..."_

" _His_ _ **own**_ _purposes?"_ she mentally gasped in surprise _._ What did that mean? How could a level-six ghost control a spirit as strong as this one? Perhaps it was because… She mentally blurted her next exasperated thought, _"Is that why this hunter is both a ghost and not a ghost? What secrets does he have? And what secrets do you have of him? Why is this hunter a ghost and not a ghost?"_ she forcibly yet mentally threw at him.

" _He has a shell that is not ghostly flesh, he—"_

" _His name! His name! What is his name?"_ she hotly interrupted his mind.

But she misinterpreted his silence for his recent fit of stubbornness rather than for his rapid lapsing into unconsciousness from the amount of poison which she, in her anxiety to know, had haphazardly poured into him in trying to get him to talk. She grabbed him by his shoulders and violently shook him.

When she saw his eyes open slightly, she shook him some more and yelled, "WHAT IS THE HUNTER'S NAME, WORM?"

"S-Skulker," the winged spirit barely breathed out before he fell into a deep stupor.

The spider let go, but she suddenly looked upon the unconscious Angelus with hunger. Though she was now mad with the knowledge, she couldn't bring herself to give into the urge to kill this one.

Instead, she tore off more of the Angelus' aura and devoured it. Savoring the intense flavor, Ĉasista mused only to herself, "Hmmm…he said 'Skulker' was that creature's name."

She then remembered how the ripped webbing that made up the outer crust of this realm had tasted. It had to be that 'Skulker'. But then, her face twisted more grotesquely than it was at rest. Wait. There was something more…a hint that she had not noticed until now because she had been upset about her domain being breached: there was another scent that Skulker carried about him about someone _else_. A _more important_ someone else.

She smiled with the discovery and almost purred, "And how delicious. This 'Skulker' serves more than one purpose, now!"

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 **[1] Esperanto for: Realm of Chaos, which was is the name of the lair of the** _ **Angeli**_ **in Chapter 47 of my story, "Gold Tested in Fire".**

 **[2] The new race of spirits** **—the** _ **Angeli**_ **—** **that I discovered in Chapter 47 of my story, "Gold Tested in Fire'. Their name is the Latin name for 'angels'.**

 **[3] You need to read my story, "Shadow of a Doubt" to catch up about how all that happened!**

 **[4] Since Angelus-alvus doesn't know who Sam Manson is, he names her 'Ad Femina', which is the Latin words for 'The Female'.**

 **[5] Latin for 'Silver Angel', meant to be made up of Courage.**

 **[6] Yes, it means what it looks like! That's the Latin word for 'female'.**

 **[7] Latin word for 'children'.**

 **[8] Latin:** **(** _ **Alvus**_ **is a corruption of** _ **albus**_ **) roughly: White Angel, denoting peace or passivity in the context of this chapter.**

 **[9] Latin for 'Angel of Anger'.**

 **[10] Latin:** **"That is right, my children, you do well to help me!"**

 **[11]** **Ĉasista's pet name for Angelus-alvus is the Latin words for 'First Angel'. She recognizes that he is the leader of the Angeli.**

 **[12] Latin: Frightened Angel.**

 **[13] Latin: Helpless or Powerless Angel.**


	3. Chapter 3 Gnawing Anxiety

**A/N: Howdy, wonderful readers! And happy belated St. Valentine's Day to you. I hope you got lots of love on that day because everyone deserves to be loved….Sniff…Aww, gee, that's not the way to start a chapter called 'Gnawing Anxiety'! Anyways, I need to spoil you all because a lot of the stuff in this chapter has been covered in my past stories. If you haven't had a chance to read (and review) them yet, no worries, for you still can enjoy this chapter and the story. But if you should get a little confused when the characters 'remember' past events, just accept the fact those said past events 'happened'. Also, a very clever reader pointed out that I hadn't said anything about a timeline in relationship to this story and the last one ('Gold Tested in Fire' (GTiF)). She is very correct. THIS story takes place a couple of months or so after the events in GTiF have ended. (Thanks, Distant Radiance!). In light of all of this, I need to give you a short recap of the parts of that last story (GTiF) that are pertinent to this story and this chapter in particular. Danny fought many ghosts in GTiF, but one in particular was very affected by their confrontation, and has since been 'off' in his thinking. In that same story, Vlad was attacked by a race of spirits called the 'Spectre'. The Spectre not only can physically harm their foes with one shot of their rays, but they can render their foes completely confused mentally while driving very strong emotional fears with that same shot; and therefore, the Spectre ultimately make their foes helpless to counterattack in any capacity. Also, if the rays are powerful enough, their victims can also have complete amnesia of the attack, whom attacked them, and any idea of the events surrounding the events. And the effects of the rays can last a long time, depending on how powerful they are. The Spectre do this because they don't want anyone discovering who they are and, more importantly, where they dwell.(But if you really want to know, just read my story, 'Shadow of a Doubt'** — **shameless advertisement , I know!) Hope you stay with me on this! In the meantime, enjoy the rest of your love week and enjoy the show!**

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Entanglement—Chapter 3—Gnawing Anxiety

Skulker grunted as he completely missed his last target that was permanently set up on a swatch of land on his remote island floating in the Ghost Zone. As if that wasn't enough discouragement: lately, he was finding himself here at his lair too often and missing too many of his targets whenever he goaded himself to practice. In fact, he had been in an unusual funk for the last couple of months or so, and his game had been off since then.

And all because of one unique word that still tasted sour whenever he even _thought_ about it: _half-ghost_! Ironical that that one compound word could doubly gnaw at him because of the _two_ individuals that it stood for. Two individuals who had caused him more grief in the last two months than he had ever experienced in his entire time of existing.

He harrumphed. How ironical once again—and irritating—that the mere thought of that unique word meant that those two individuals could still stir countless…emotions within him, feelings that he had thought he had walled up in denial, only for that wall to be breached by his latest encounter with them both. Though he tried to mend his mental wall, he couldn't. Instead, the anxiety he felt coiled around his core right now rendered him…numb with helplessness.

He suddenly gritted his teeth in a surge of determination. He would overcome this just as easily as he could concentrate on hunting. In fact, he had been getting in extra hunting lately…He suddenly frowned. He had to admit that it had not been as...easy as it had been in the past…

And all because he was still here, muddling through a myriad of emotions that seemed to surround him lately with as much tenacity as Pandora's Box of mischief!

As the hunter re-loaded the weapon currently jutting out from his new and improved robotic suit, he sighed this time. Even _this suit_ reminded him of the half-ghosts! After all, the older one gave it to him several months ago when Plasmius and the whelp were captured by the Observants. And he wouldn't have been able to rescue Plasmius without it…Suddenly annoyed, he grunted at his next thought: even _then,_ the older half-ghost had given him a gift with strings attached since, in effect, Plasmius must have known that his own hide would have been toast if he hadn't given the Ghost Hunter the suit!

That circular thinking continued to eat at the cyborg, even when he really loved this new robotic suit. He was still discovering its potential, and it did help him with his hunting skills.

Little did he know, however, that the suit looked almost identical to the one that Skultech 9.9 inhabited the time that Danny Phantom had first fought his evil older self a couple of years ago. The only difference with this suit was that he didn't share its operating system with Technus.

As he shut the weapon's loading chamber and readied himself to take aim, Skulker frowned when he thought he should be thankful for this new suit. But then, again, maybe not!

Exasperated, he belched out a loud growl.

How he wished he could lock up all of those conflicting emotions into a box like Pandora's and throw away the key!

He impulsively aimed and fired at another target, only to miss yet again. He grumbled in irritation. He just had to get a hold of his emotions…no. He had to get a hold of _himself_ and squelch his emotions as masterfully as he has always been able to do in the past until…That. One. Word. — **half-ghost** — kept creeping back up and getting front and center in his brain—again!

Back to square one, yet again! He had lost count on how many times he ended up in this loop of emotions that that word kept triggering.

The cyborg's mind drifted even more as he sloppily re-checked the sites of his gun, his mind slipping gears and wandering toward whom he thought had been his only…friend.

But now, he wasn't so certain that he actually had any…friends at all. Not after what his only 'friend'—Plasmius—had done to him during _that_ time…and he wasn't _even counting_ that _other_ later incident when the younger hybrid had come very close to killing Plasmius.

Then again, Plasmius had tried to destroy the whelp's spirit; and so, he deserved a comeuppance, no matter how dangerous it had been—and even when the hunter ghost had correctly predicted the outcome.

Scenes of all the ghosts before and after the cyborg's own showdown with the young half-ghost a couple of months ago unexpectedly flitted through his mind. He had witnessed most of Vlad's latest plan to force the whelp to become his…son. Son? What could have possessed the older one to torture the pup like he had, hoping to get the whelp to yield from attrition and even brain-washing? It was more than cruel, it was….madness...How could Plasmius have expected to get a son from that…but then again, how could he have expected _a friend_ to acquiesce to it all?

He grunted in annoyance and his ghostly stomach twisted in a knot even as the next thought slipped out: with 'friends' like Vlad, who needed enemies? The older half-ghost shouldn't have _ordered_ him—especially so demandingly— to check on the young whelp's mental status after Plasmius had thought he had broken the pup's spirit. The older hybrid's heartless demand was growled out gruffly enough that Skulker had reflexively _**lied**_ _to_ the older hybrid and told him that Danny Phantom had been broken, when he hadn't been.

Skulker hesitated a moment at his next thought. In fact, the hunter had been able to detect, and ultimately prove, with his special sense that the whelp's essence, his heroic character, was _unbreakable._

The whelp was even more unique than he had thought…

He paused yet again before he grunted in exasperation. He was getting emotionally side-tracked for the umpteenth time and he hadn't even finished trying to **stop** thinking about Plasmius!

The cyborg ghost quickly aimed his gun and shot at a target. He clipped the outer edge and growled under his breath.

 _That was not good enough!_

He grunted again in dissatisfaction when he re-checked his error before his thoughts unintentionally drifted back to his real problem: _Plasmius_ wasn't good enough, either! It had already cut deep when the older hybrid had treated him just like a…servant like he had done during the man's latest scheme to get the whelp on his side.…Plasmius shouldn't have so callously ordered him about—even if the man had practically gone mad with his obsession just before his plan ultimately failed.

The hunter didn't know he had smirked at his next thought: even if the man was sent completely _out_ of his mind after being attacked by those Spectre creatures at the time.

He paused with the memory, before another thought popped out: Just how the whelp had discovered and even befriended such powerful spirits to come to his aid was impressive in and of itself…

But Skulker grunted and quickly threw that thought out when that stirred other unwanted emotions. He forced himself to refocus on the Spectre. _They_ were indeed very impressive—and unique—creatures; and he felt a bit of relief when his hunter instincts were briefly stirred.

Still, as he recalled, those shadow ghosts literally wiped the floor with Plasmius and his shadow replicas after Plasmius really had lost it when he had realized that the boy hadn't been broken after all and had tried to completely destroy the Ghost Boy…

The hunter didn't feel the side of his mouth hitch upward in partial satisfaction at his next thought just before he hit the target just off the bulls-eye. Plasmius couldn't break the whelp; but **he—the 'great' Plasmius—** _had been broken_ …by the Spectre! Nevertheless, that guilty pleasure quickly melded into irritation as Skulker narrowed his eyes at the memory of Plasmius's slow recovery from the Spectre's rays and how the man had treated him much _worse_ than he had before Plasmius had been attacked by those spirit creatures …

" _How is he today, Derek?" Skulker asked the ghost butler, who was one of Vlad's ghost servants caring for him. "Did you attend to his necessities as I had instructed?"_

 _The butler kept a poke-face as he resisted the urge to roll his eyes. The Ghost Hunter's encounter with the servants since his employer had been…indisposed…had been like a repeat performance of a one-act play._

 _Still, the ghost servant knew his 'part' in this play and answered as he usually did, since nothing had changed. "Yes, we have tended to Mr. Masters's needs and he is as well as he can be."_

" _Is he making any sense yet?" Skulker further questioned._

" _No," came the same short reply._

Skulker would then go check for himself. Not that the he doubted the butler's word, but because he had hoped that Vlad's seeing him might help him clear his mind…

At first, Skulker had regretted doing that because in the older hybrid's obviously confused state, he had been terrified by Skulker's sight. But as time passed, and even though the hunter could plainly see that Plasmius had still not recovered and was suspicious of him for quite a while, the older hybrid had eventually calmed down at seeing him—and had even seemed pleased at having him as a visitor even when their conversations had been very illogical and rambling on the man's part— as if the man could somehow sense that Skulker had meant him no harm—or, maybe that he might be a…friend.

Skulker frowned at the thought before quickly throwing it away. It didn't matter that this was the same scene day-after-day for a few weeks; though he had to admit that he would have preferred this kind of scene just because Vlad had been so… appreciative of him. The hunter grunted slightly. Even that thought didn't satisfy his gnawing anxiety over this whole affair, especially when, just recently, on his _last_ visit…

" _So, how is Plasmius?" Skulker recalled asking the butler yet again._

 _Trying to hide his emotions, the butler slowly replied, "Well, sir, Mr. Masters seems to be coming around."_

 _One of Skulker's eyebrows shot up when the hunter had caught a whiff radiating off of the butler after he had answered him._

 _The butler was definitely nervous…was that a good thing?_

" _Oh?" Skulker finally commented, deftly hiding his own emotions this time. "How so?"_

 _Derek hesitated and slightly drew up his bottom lip before he finally replied, "Perhaps you should see for yourself, sir."_

 _Skulker frowned slightly in concern as he said, "I will do just that. Where is he?"_

" _In the basement lab," Derek answered._

 _The cyborg ghost hurriedly floated toward where he knew Vlad had to be. Though he didn't want to admit that he was happy at first to hear that Vlad was at last coming to his senses, the hunter slowed down when he could clearly_ _ **hear**_ _that the hybrid was definitely moving about even before he had gotten to the lab's door._

 _Once Skulker had gotten to the door, however, he didn't hesitate to knock on it._

" _Who is it? I told you that I didn't want to be disturbed!" Vlad's clearly irritated voice growled._

 _Nevertheless, the robot-clad ghost answered, "It is Skulker."_

 _The man's voice half-demanded, "Come in!"_

 _Once the hunter had entered the lab and the two friends' eyes had met and Skulker had gotten a whiff of the man, the hunter could tell that Vlad was very, very upset. He wondered if perhaps it was because the man hadn't come quite to his senses yet._

" _I was just about to call you, Skulker. What happened to my computer?" Vlad practically spit out the words._

 _Skulker frowned. Maybe the man_ _ **had**_ _come to his senses and was starting to remember what had happened to him. But he didn't know what the man was talking about. The last time he had interacted with the computer was just before the Spectre had attacked. The persona of the computer's intellect, which was a holographic image of Maddie Fenton, had been acting up a little, but he had shut it down before it could interfere with what had last happened between Plasmius and the whelp…_

The Ghost Hunter stopped at the memory, still unsure how he should feel about the whole affair. But he shook the thought away and he continued with his musings.

 _At that time, Skulker didn't think anything else had been wrong with the man's computer, especially when he had turned it back on several weeks ago and it had been apparently rebooted itself. And since he hadn't needed it at all, he had simply turned it back off until the older hybrid could recover. In fact, he hadn't even kept up with its scheduled maintenance because it wasn't being used. So, as far as he knew, it was working properly._

 _But the hunter didn't know that two important things had happened to the computer. First of all, it had been acting up because Vlad had accidentally damaged it shortly before the Spectre had attacked. And, he couldn't have known what had happened shortly_ _ **after**_ _the Spectre had attacked Vlad and his shadow clones because one of the Spectre had insisted that he leave when the shadow ghost had discovered him….and he did leave._

 _So, he couldn't have known that Tucker had hacked into the computer and had copied and then erased a lot of Vlad's personal and technical files that only had to do with Danny. The techno-teen hadn't touched the other files that were basic to the computer or had nothing to do with his friend—for the most part, that is. He had copied some of the more advanced technology files he had uncovered to satisfy his own curiosity and what he had planned to study later. Furthermore, Skulker wouldn't have known that all the files concerning the younger hybrid would have been deleted by Tucker because Skulker had never been interested in them all along. In fact, he wasn't interested in them because of his own jealous feelings of being replaced by the whelp in the man's eyes._

 _Nevertheless, Skulker mirrored the irritation in the man's voice as he replied, "I do not know what you mean, Plasmius. The computer has been working satisfactorily shortly after you were…beside yourself."_

" _What are_ _ **you**_ _talking about, Skulker? Nothing's wrong with me! I've been myself perfectly," the man grumbled as he continued to push command keys. He still didn't realize that he was still a bit foggy from his encounter with the Spectre rays, even though he was well enough to at least make some sense. But more importantly, he didn't know that he was more than a bit foggy…_

" _Though I can't say the same thing about Maddie. Somehow, she can't bring up all my files I had on Daniel. I had come down here to check on some facts about him when she got so irritated by my pressing her for information that she said she didn't have that I had to turn her off. I got to find them so that I can add the idea I just had that might finally get the boy to agree to be by my side…And why are the clock and date all wrong, Skulker? Did you forget to stick to the maintenance schedule?"_

 _Though the hunter ghost was annoyed by that last remark, he was more concerned about the man's other comments. He bit his lip within his robotic head and was glad that the man couldn't see that at all. So...it seemed that the Spectre's ray not only threw Plasmius's mind into a very confused state, but it also had the extra 'bonus' of causing selective amnesia to its victims. That could be good or bad…_

 _Good, because it was obvious that the older hybrid no longer remembered his elaborate—and ultimately disastrous— scheme to get the whelp to be his ally. But bad, because those files on the pup—which were extensive and comprehensive—were missing._

 _Skulker frowned. He couldn't understand that part. The Spectre couldn't have possibly have known about those files, could they?_

 _Skulker's thoughts jumped to the only conclusion he could think of: the whelp's friend. Tucker! **He** had been there the day the Spectre had come. And from what he knew about the teen during all the time they had spent working together while trying to rescue the two hybrids from the Observants a while back, he didn't doubt that that __**human whelp would**_ _have been interested in getting a hold of Vlad's computer!_ _ **He**_ _must have discovered those files and maybe he had somehow been able to erase them._

 _But before the cyborg ghost could ponder any more about it, Vlad abruptly interrupted his thoughts. By the sound of the man's voice, Skulker also concluded that one of the side effects of a Spectre attack was crankiness!_

" _Well, Skulker, can you explain where those files are? After all, I can see that you have been the only other living creature who has been logged onto this computer."_

 _Skulker knitted his brow in irritation, especially when he could smell the man's accusatory tone. He tersely replied, "That does not even deserve a response, Plasmius. You know that I only access the areas that we have both agreed upon."_

" _Then explain why the clock and date are all wrong," Vlad pressed._

 _Skulker puckered his face to mimic the irritated scowl on the man's face right now. Explaining_ _ **that**_ _detail would be complicated and wouldn't bode well with the man. Skulker's face slightly relaxed at his next thought. But after all, they were still…friends and Vlad needed to know._

 _Finally, the hunter stepped closer. And placing his left hand gently upon the man's shoulder, he measured his words in reply, "Listen to me, Vlad. The clock and date reflected by the computer are correct. You have been in a state of confusion for a few weeks because…"_

" _Really, Skulker," the man grumpily interjected as he unconsciously rubbed his eyes and pulled away from the ghost, "is that your best stab at an explanation?"_

 _Skulker growled under his ghostly breath when he realized something for the first time. The man_ _ **refused**_ _to entertain the thought that he might have been mentally indisposed at any time, much less for several weeks! Really. Sometimes, Plasmius could be too self-centered and even an intellectual snob. The hunter was even sure that the man wouldn't believe him if he told him that_ _ **he**_ _had kept him safe from anyone or, more importantly, any_ _ **ghost**_ _while he was incapacitated._

 _Skulker replied in an uncharacteristically icy tone, "If you are not interested in hearing the real explanation—and since I am satisfied that you are now back to your usual self—I have a list of projects that I have been putting on hold for far too long. Do not bother to call me if you have need of me…and do not expect me to call you unless I have time of it!"_

 _Stunned by the cyborg ghost's radical response, Vlad blinked in disbelief at the ghost. But before he could respond, Skulker had created a portal and dove right into it before it disappeared an instant later…_

The look on the man's face still haunted Skulker's mind as he phased back into reality. He looked down at the weapon still in his hand and grunted in irritation when he could see that in his angst, he had squeezed the trigger so hard that it was now wedged into place.

He gritted his teeth at the thought of his giving into…weakness yet again! He shouldn't let the memory affect him like it did! Great hunters controlled their emotions all of the time!...Still, he had to admit that it…hurt…how the older hybrid had reacted and especially that the hybrid didn't appreciate his trying to tell him the truth.

Truth.

The word seemed to hit him right between his ghostly eyes—especially when his next sudden thought was that he just knew that the _other_ hybrid, the Ghost Boy, would _always_ appreciate hearing the truth from him!

He stomped over to his workshop in order to repair the damage his emotions had made on the trigger of his gun. Still, all the while, his thoughts were unconsciously whirling until they landed on the memory of the battered face of the Ghost Child and all that he had said at their last encounter still haunting his core as if it had happened only moments before…

 _"Y-You…_ _ **bargained**_ _for me?" Danny barely uttered._

 _Skulker could sense that the boy had been in shock and denial after the pup had realized that the Ghost Hunter had been involved with Walker's evil plan to utterly defeat the younger hybrid. And Skulker was sure of it when the boy had choked on his next words, "B-But why? I thought that after everything you've done for me in the past…."_

Somehow, Skulker winced when he remembered what he had insisted at the time… _"The key phrase in that is 'in the past', Ghost Child! And the past is the past and cannot be undone."_

The hunter ghost tried to blot out the distress he had seen in the whelp's eyes as the pup countered, _"How can you say that? You helped me when I was fighting Pariah and then when Plasmius and I were captured by the Observants. And later when we were fighting Iluzisto. And…and then, you helped me during the 'Disasteroid' thing; and when I was pois—."_

In some ways, Skulker still didn't understand what the whelp had been talking about—especially the part about some 'disateroid' that had never happened. But, of course, he didn't know that Danny had stopped himself from reminding the ghost about the time the ghost had helped his sister and friends after he had been poisoned by ecto-radium…before time had erased all of that.

Still, it didn't matter what the boy had said because the Ghost Hunter had denied it all, of course, insisting that he would never have helped the whelp but for his own…He paused before he made himself answer: he would never have helped the pup, but for his own _selfish_ reasons.

Skulker wrinkled his nose at the memory. He could never forget the scent surrounding the boy at their last encounter. He had violently jerked the boy closer to him in threat so as to bully him into fighting and the smell hit him between the eyes. It was undeniable. And it was as acrid now as it had been then…

Disappointment. Sadness. Betrayal. In _him_. And for some reason that Skulker could not wrap his head around, the boy also had the audacity to doubt about his—The Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter's —honesty, loyalty and truthfulness!

Skulker bit his lower lip in confusion. Had the boy blatantly refused to fight him just because of those emotions? He had even insulted and hit the Ghost Child to goad him into fighting him. He didn't understand why his words and actions hadn't enraged the whelp…just like they had _him,_ even to the point that he had almost killed the boy because of them.

The Ghost Hunter's brow furrowed in thought in spite of his confusion. Those words the boy had spoken then…they still stung even now for a reason he couldn't understand.

Before Skulker knew it, he was being pulled into deeper thoughts, as if the words still buffeting him had knocked down layer upon layer of walls from around his psyche…

His nose flared outward in annoyance for a moment when those same words bit into him. He thought he had snuffed out all of those embers, those weak feelings. But, obviously, they had been in a steady burn deep within him.

The thought enraged him yet again and he surprised himself when he all of the sudden heard himself scream out, "NO! I will not give in! It is time to rid myself of these…these infernal emotions once and for all!"

Now, he was _even more_ annoyed at himself for being so weak as to shout out his anger just now, too!

But then, he purposely yelled out even louder, "The whelp said we had choices! Hmmph! I then choose to deny the control these inferior feelings have had over me! I am a hunter; and hunters need to control all of their emotions or else the truth is that they will never have the victory in the hunt!"

The truth…the hunt. The words seem to clang throughout his ghostly brain and at the same time, struggle for control.

That was enough! He _was_ the Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter only because of his _unemotional_ focus on the hunt!

A familiar—yet, not quite satisfying—smile hugged his robotic mouth. He was in control of his feelings now that he had thrown out any semblance of emotional baggage with any silly word like 'truth'…he paused only a fleeting moment until he confidently added, or even any sillier word like…'friend'! But what he didn't realize most poignantly was that he had really managed to throw out any semblance of the _conscience_ that had awakened within him shortly after his last encounter with Danny Phantom.

The **hunt** was the most important…obsession, the focus he needed right now to consume the weaker ones.

" _And I will hunt down the one who is responsible for infecting me with those weak feelings in the first place,"_ he vowed to himself, even as his last memory of his encounter with the boy was of what the scent he had detected had meant. _"And Danny Phantom can never again expect me to be_ _ **true**_ _…or be a_ _ **true friend**_ _to him…"_

His thoughts shifted slightly and he mentally added with a growl, _"Or even be friends with any human…or half-human!"_

"Beware, Ghost Child and annoying sidekicks!" he said out loud this time, cocking his gun. "I will prove to you that I am still a great hunter!"

Now fully in control of his emotions and full of confidence, Skulker hastily opened a portal and bound right into it…completely focused on his most anticipated hunt….

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 **A/N: Heh-heh. I bet you were wondering when I would get to some kind of familiar ghost in this story, weren't you? After all, I know that this is a DP fanfic so I better! I hope you enjoyed the chapter; and if you have, you don't have to hunt for very long for that response box because it's just below! I would love to hear from you! Until next time, dear readers!**


	4. Chapter 4 Gnawing Irritation

**A/N: Well, hiya, dear readers! Can you believe that it's already March? O.o. Wasn't it like, yesterday, that we were starting a new year? Gee, maybe I got infected with** **Ĉasista** **'s poison, too, just like Angelus-alvus, who is now Angelus-imbellis at the end of the last chapter and the beginning of** _ **this**_ **chapter? Wow. Ah-oh! I'm so confused right now about its being March already and trying to keep up which personality is being shown by the Angelus leader that one of my many facets of my split personality is…beginning….to….eke…out…**

 **Ms. Hyde: That's right, dearie! Me and that lovely** **Ĉasista have matching BFF lockets** **. She has a wonderful recipe for eyeball soup!**

 **truephan: Ugh! And isn't that BFF thing a bit out of fashion now?**

 **Ms. Hyde: Pfft! Villainesses make their own fashion statements, dearie. In fact, we start most of them! All of those silly little good-deed-doers don't have enough imagination to start their own.**

 **truephan: Taking advantage of me now that I'm a bit confused and can't come up with a repartee?**

 **Ms. Hyde: You got it, dearie!**

 **truephan: (rolls eyes) Okay, then, whatever. In any case, dear readers, hope you're ready for another chapter. I think this one might surprise you a bit, but I'll explain a bit about it when you get to the end (yeah, the 'hook'!). Enjoy the show!**

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Entanglement—Chapter 4—Gnawing Irritation

Angelus- _imbecillis_ 's eyes slowly opened, and all he saw was blurriness all around him. He wasn't at all aware yet of what had happened to him. Though he was usually resistance to Ĉasista's poison, this time he had really been affected by it. Then again, it _was_ the first time the Guardian had nearly poisoned him out of existence —even if it had been accidental.

But even as Ĉasista's poison slowly leached out of him, he remained in his helpless state, as evident by his grey spectral skin and black hair, wings, and clothing. In all the while, his thoughts remained very erratic. And those fuzzy images he was still seeing were all jerky, as if someone wasn't holding an out-of-focus camera steady enough.

Suddenly, the winged spirit's eyes widened as he startled in alarm. He was being attacked! He struggled to move and gasped when he was being attacked and _bound_ tightly enough that he couldn't fight back!

" _Sit mihi vade! Sit mihi vade_!" **[1]** he yelled in his native language, though his words were extremely slurred.

Out of his mind at the moment, the Angelus struggled even harder against his bindings when none of his attackers paid heed to his words.

" _Dimitte me! Dimitte me!"_ **[2]** he screamed more emphatically now that he was panicking.

But little did he know that he was being _helped_ rather than attacked. His Parvuli were frantically tearing at Ĉasista's _ĉerko_ to try to rescue their master —and they had been trying to release him _before_ he had commanded it. But they had only been brave enough to approach him after they had been sure that the Guardian had left for good!

"No! No! Do not touch me!" he continued to warn in the Angelus language just as his aura's color suddenly darkened and his entire form began to morph.

But before he could unleash the fury of his angry Angelus- _iratus_ persona, he was suddenly falling and ended in a heap on the ground.

That hard thud was enough to jolt the anger out of him —at least, for the moment. He struggled to pull himself up to a stand, but was still at bit too dizzy to go aloft.

But then suddenly, he was aware of a presence…no several beings…He gasped and his red eyes flared as he quickly scanned the area around him. He was still not aware that he had not fully come to his senses yet.

Feeling extremely threatened and seeing nothing but the radical and ever-changing atmosphere, he completely morphed back to another, even more unique form an instant later.

He was now Angelus- _bellator_ **[3].** His most terrible and powerful form. In fact, no other Angelus could mistake it because his persona's look right now was a radical change from all other Angeli, including Angelus-alvus's usual look. And no other Angelus could come close to mimicking it — nor, more importantly, did any other Angelus even think to dare.

Angelus-bellator was no longer clad in a flowing, long-sleeved, floor-length gown. And his feet were no longer bare as they always were yet always hidden by his now-absent gown. Now, his Angelus body was clothed in a short-sleeve tunic that just covered his shoulders and fell and flared out several inches below his hips but well above his knees. That tunic, however, was covered by a heavier tunic made of metal. The short-sleeves of his metallic tunic protected the top of the Angelus's shoulders in mail armor that was designed to resemble short plumage. His torso was so tightly swathed in armor that it looked as if his tense, strong and well-defined abdominal muscles were visible and made of steel instead of spectral flesh. And that metal piece ended just below his waist and inter-meshed seamlessly to a very short skirt of armor layered similarly to that on his sleeves, only that the plumage was longer. A red cape known as a _paludamentum_ was securely fastened to the metal tunic at his right shoulder. The flowing cape didn't interfere with his wings as it fell to well-past his knees. Strong, thick, red battle sandals that laced up to mid-calf of each of his legs, called _caligae,_ shod his feet _._ And his fire-color hair was now caught completely up under his _galea_ , or helmet.

The rest of him, which was his skin, wings and eyes, were now in the same hue of red. His scarlet-skinned arm muscles twitched in agitation as he readied himself for the phantoms only in his mind.

And if the winged spirit had been totally within his mind at the moment, he would have also been holding a large flaming red sword and a circular shield known as a _parma_. Instead, he had reflexively formed two huge balls of electrically charged ecto-energy between his long red nails in both of his hands. He ignored the red lightening that licked the surface of those balls as if they were eager to attack as he hissed, "Who is there? Show yourself or else feel my ire!"

At first, nothing around the spirit stirred.

He didn't know at this point that his Parvuli had scattered when they realized he wasn't himself and then had seen him change into his most feared persona. Of course, they had hoped that this phase of his persona would pass shortly like usual, but they also weren't going to wait around and find out.

But the fact that the winged spirit no longer detected any presence didn't satisfy his still-confused mind. After all, Ĉasista's poison was still lingering in his spectral veins and was enough to keep him out-of-control.

His glaring red eyes continued to scan the immediate area. But then, he noticed some kind of movement near a boulder not too far away. He didn't hesitate to throw his energy ball at it.

The boulder disintegrated on impact. But then, he saw several shadows flee from that same location before they seemed to melt into nothingness.

That only fed the wildness in his eyes when he failed to…destroy them. Now in a rage, Angelus-bellator produced more of his electro-energy balls before he bombarded other nearby large rocks that he sensed were hiding his enemies. Those boulders, too, immediately vaporized under their blows.

And as if he were a rapid-firing weapon, the crazed spirit continued to attack in the same mold for several minutes, utterly destroying any protection for any of the entities he sensed in his path, but also not realizing that he was just as quickly depleting his energy —and ridding himself of the poison.

In all that while, many other Angeli noticed what was going on and trembled as they morphed into their forms that reflected their great fear. Moments later, they, too, were fleeing the area; only for moments later to forget what had happened and morph into yet another persona as their minds wandered yet again.

But, alas, for some other creatures, there was no such option. After all, each Angelus had his own Parvuli who were dependent only on him—and really, he to them. Though their relationship was initially a predator-to-prey one, once the human ghosts had become Parvuli, their relationship with their Angelus became more symbiotic. In fact, an outsider might say that they were much more of a family than a single Angelus would ever have…

Angelus-bellator's own Parvuli, then, were as trapped as their master at this point. All they could do was avoid his ire and hope that he would morph to a calmer persona soon. But then again, each of Angelus-bellator's Parvuli could also sense that his transformation wasn't going to happen anytime soon, which only distressed them more. They had never experienced an Angelus holding a form this long—ever. And they were tiring even more quickly than the spirit in their efforts not to get obliterated!

Nevertheless, the hapless creatures kept on the move as their master continued with his chaos.

But then, one of the younger—and less experienced—Parvuli was lagging behind the others as they dove behind yet another bolder for cover. That Parvulus's strength was nearly spent as he frantically tried to reach safety with his brethren.

Unfortunately for him, this Parvulus could not meld into the atmosphere anymore and was very visible…to the sights of a very angry and powerful Angelus. And just as the small creature was about to duck behind the boulder, Angelus-bellator shot at him. But because the Angelus was also losing power, his energy didn't destroy the boulder and only clipped the outer part of it, leaving most of the structure intact.

However, a moment later, Angelus-bellator noticed that something seemed to pull itself from the boulder before it fell down right in front of it. Though the creature wasn't directly shot, he was hit with the flying debris of the boulder that had been attacked.

Meanwhile, the wildness in the Angelus-bellator's eyes waned a bit. He thought it odd that his foe had made no sound; still his thoughts shifted to one thought:

Victory!

The winged spirit soared over to the still unmoving entity and alit right next to it. And then, the Angelus's eyes widened in both shock and distress. He knew this creature…he…he was one of his Parvuli! And one of his most vulnerable ones!

The shock was enough to jolt the Angelus' mind and eradicate the remaining poison in his system—and, more importantly, propel his transformation back into another persona.

He was now Angelus- _tristis_ **[4];** and once again, he was in his long-sleeved, floor-length gown, only that his complete form, that is, his hair, skin, clothing and wings, was painted in various shades of purple.

He gently scooped up the limp young Parvulus and cradled him. He could feel moisture run down his purple cheek for a reason he couldn't quite understand as he inspected the Parvulus's injury. He didn't really question why he should suddenly care for his Parvuli. He knew that he had just recently obtained these strange emotions. And he couldn't also help but think that this was all his fault for being out of control yet again!

"Pauper exiguus," **[5]** he moaned when he could tell that his Parvulus's injury was serious.

But then, for some odd reason, he also sensed that the Parvulus was going to recover.

At that strange thought, his mind fully cleared and he remembered what had happened to him….

Ĉasista's poison had made him do this! He was becoming more in command of his emotions before that wretched creature's poison threw him into a place he no longer wanted to be: lost within his own chaotic thoughts.

Though Angelus-tristis was relieved that the Parvuli was going to recover, his form briefly changed back to Angelus-iratus with his now righteous anger as he looked up, searching to see where he was.

Ironical—and yet, really, appropriate—that he was at the very same webbed wall that had been rented by Skulker and repaired by Ĉasista. His red eyes flared in anger. And as if their sight could penetrate the webbing, he glared in the direction of that wretched creature that he knew was not too far beyond that thick, strong wall. He didn't care in the least to know that she was busy making another _ĉerko_ at that moment.

"I will have to think this through," he decided, as he melded back into Angelus-alvus…

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

It was early evening and still light in the small town of Amity Park when a clickety-clack sound was barely heard above the softly tumbling waters of the new main fountain in the middle of Central Park. This fountain, which was on top of a small hill, was much smaller and much more traditional and symmetrical than the one it had recently replaced...

Most of the citizens of Amity Park had been very perplexed several weeks ago when they had discovered that they had needed a new fountain because the other, larger and more abstract fountain located on the same spot had been inexplicably destroyed. Most of the citizens, however chagrin they were at having to replace yet another ruined landmark, had been secretly glad that this particular monstrosity had been demolished for them—no matter how it had happened—since they had little to say about it and its design in the first place. After all, it had been privately funded and erected by their mayor, Vlad Masters. But they would have been especially happy that the mayor's fountain had been wrecked beyond repair if they had had any inkling that he had used that fountain's special design to enhance his ability to produce an indefinite amount of shadow clones that he had used to control them for his own dark purposes— even if in the end those dark purposes had been foiled on many levels not too long after that former fountain had been completed…

The same clickety-clack sound now resonated off the water from that new fountain and was growing louder by the second.

To many teenagers, that very familiar sound meant pure fun. And the other sounds accompanying it—intermittent gleeful sounds which seemed to sing in harmony with the rhythmical sound of metal on stone—only confirmed that fun indeed was coming…

"Yipee!" Danny Fenton jubilantly cried out again, unaware that his jet-black hair was sweeping behind him as he practically flew toward the fountain on a skateboard.

The clickety-clack of the little land-locked surfboard suddenly slowed before it changed to a scraping and then a banging sound before returning to its original rhythm. The half-ghost boy had just aced another skateboard trick.

"Look at that! Cool, man! Keep going!" Tucker Foley emoted to his friend while holding onto his helmet and steering his scooter in chase after his friend.

Meanwhile, a female voice lowly growled in response to the scene, though the scooter she was on also kept pace with the two boys.

As the trio finally arrived at the area just in front of the new fountain, Danny, who was still gliding on his board, glanced at Tucker and cried out, "Hey, dude, watch this!"

The black-haired, blue-eyed teenage boy strategically shifted his weight and the front wheels of the skateboard that had been rolling underneath him suddenly reared up like a horse standing only on its hind legs. Danny shot his foot forward and slammed the hanging wheels back to the ground, then repeated the movements several times with more force without stopping the motion of the board. In a heartbeat, he and the skateboard became airborne before its underside landed on top of the ledge of the new fountain.

But it didn't stop at that.

Danny pressed his weight down even more, and the still-moving skateboard briefly slid along the edge before the boy's legs jolted it into a helicopter-like, three-hundred and sixty-degree flip into the air. An eyeblink later, the skateboard and its master had landed perfectly on the sidewalk abutting the fountain and came to a screeching halt. Danny then smacked the skateboard with his right foot and it dutifully flipped up and back before Danny deftly caught it and swept it up under his arm.

"Wow, Danny! That move would certainly make Tony Hawks or even Carrot Top green with envy!" Tucker remarked with a big grin on his face as he braked to a stop. Of course, he was referring to some past skateboarding and snowboarding greats.

Sam resisted the urge to roll her eyes, especially when she was getting off her scooter as well. After all, what was going on had been almost a daily occurrence for a couple of weeks now…

With the skateboard still secured under his arm, Danny skirted his eyes in the area around the group before a smile broke onto his face. Good! So far, no one else was around but they.

"And speaking of 'green'…," Danny wistfully chuckled as he openly produced a large ectoplasmic ball of green light, jumped up on top of it and balanced himself upon it as expertly as a circus acrobat.

This time, Sam glared at her boyfriend but said and did nothing. She didn't need to be told that he hadn't noticed that she wasn't pleased with his antics. It was obvious. Besides…she could _feel_ that he was annoyingly oblivious about it.

She shook her head trying to clear that last thought. Though she was getting better at controlling her empathic powers using her goth façade, she still did have some trouble completely stopping them. Still, she looked on with a semi-poker face.

"Woah, man!" Tucker yelled with glee. "I didn't know you could do that!"

"Not until just recently," Danny replied with a grin. "Now, watch this, Tuck!"

Danny then pulled out the skateboard that had been anchored under his arm. He grabbed it on either end with both hands; and in one quick movement, as if he were playing jump-rope with the skateboard, he swooped the skateboard downward, only to jerk to a stop when the skateboard was under his feet. Now, he was balancing on the skateboard on top of the glowing green ectoplasmic ball!

Tucker now hooped and hollered in appreciation for the free entertainment, as he emoted, "Wow, dude, what other cool things can you do now?"

Sam's brow furrowed in irritation once more; but this time, she glared at Tucker instead of her boyfriend. Still, she said nothing.

In fact, both boys were still so absorbed in their play that they continued to virtually ignore their female friend.

"Just this!" Danny teased before springing into action.

He quickly grabbed onto the skateboard and threw it upward. And just like a springboard diver, the young hybrid threw his arms upward launched himself head first off of the glowing ghostly green ball just as the ball burst out of existence. He sprung off of his hands just as they touched the ground at the same time that as the skateboard clanged to the ground and began to roll down the hill they had been on. Danny completed the rolling hand stand and expertly landed on the rolling skateboard, which deftly carried him down the hill and off toward the other side of Central Park. He didn't look back as he rolled merrily along with Tucker jumping with excitement as he watched his friend move away from him.

Sam could take no more. With a noticeable growl this time, she stomped away in the _opposite_ direction in which Danny had taken and headed toward a bench that was under some trees.

Tucker, meanwhile, started to follow his best friend before he thought he had heard his female best friend's all-too-familiar growl.

And sure enough, as soon as the dark-skinned boy turned toward the direction where he had heard her, he reflexively bit his lower lip. He could swear by the heavy thumping of her boots that he was going to be receiving an earful in very short order.

But, really, the techno-geek hadn't the faintest idea why she would be angry. After all, both of them had made a promise to Clockwork shortly after Danny's recent cruel ordeal that had been orchestrated by Plasmius….

 _Sam lifted up the CW medallion that was now around her neck to show Tucker and said instead, "Clockwork?"_

 _Both teens turned to their front and spied the spirit right away._

 _The trio said nothing at first; but then, the young Clockwork said, "I will not take much time to say what I came here to say. I have already talked to Danny. Now it's you two's turn."_

 _The two teens looked intensely at the spirit and didn't dare ask any questions at the moment. Not that they didn't want to; it's just that they felt they had to wait to see what Clockwork would say._

 _When the spirit saw that he had their undivided attention, he continued, "I know I really don't have to say this, but I wanted to make sure I told you both by yourselves. It's important for you two to be patient and more understanding with Danny for at least a little while. He will need to depend on you two more than ever."_

" _Will he be okay?" Sam dared to ask._

" _All I will say is that it might seem very hard in the near future, but you will know what to do." He purposely turned to Tucker and added, "Now that all three of you share that gift, that is."_

 _Tucker grinned but before he could comment, Clockwork commanded, "Time In!" before a portal formed, a clock hand turned, and the spirit disappeared within it…_

Tucker quickly turned back into reality; and after throwing a slightly undecided glance back at Danny—who now looked like an ant with how far he had already skated away—he sighed and headed to his female best friend.

He knew _that_ look. He also knew by Sam's very flushed face that he might also be getting a heat blast along with an earful.

Still, he was going to try to head her off before she could catch fire…

Pointing his thumb over his shoulder and trying to make light of what he knew must be on her mind, the boy said with a half-smirk, "Hey, Sam, Danny went that way."

"I _know_ he went that way. That's why I went _this_ way," she practically gnawed back as she stood up from the bench.

"Oh, c'mon, Sam. Danny's just having some fun, and…"

"Just having _fun_ , huh?" she hotly interrupted. "At our expense! He's being a bit of a jerk lately and you know it, Tucker! And you're not helping by egging him on, too!"

"Me?" he gasped in denial. " _He's_ the one who keeps wanting to show us what he can do!" And can I help it if I think he can do really cool new things now that he's a level-nine ghost, er, half-ghost?"

The goth girl winced at his last words, which didn't in the least mollify her as she continued to rant, "You're right about his wanting to give us a show, as in _showing_ -off! And for an annoyingly longer time than I thought it would be. And haven't you noticed that Danny's hasn't really noticed us while doing that? I've felt more like a spectator at some lame show—or even like he's taking us for granted again like he did just before we met Danielle for the first time. Or don't you remember that? And for that matter, don't you think it's a bit annoying that he's beginning to sound like his father? Instead of "I, Jack Fenton this, or I, Jack Fenton that, it's 'since I'm a level-nine ghost' this or that."

She growled under her breath, but she knew she was being a little harsh on her boyfriend. Feeling a bit guilty, she added, "Yeah, it's true that I'm glad that he's not having so many nightmares, Tucker, but doesn't he know with his cocky attitude over being a level-nine ghost that he's becoming a nightmare to us?"

She hesitated a bit before she quickly admitted, "Uh, I know it's really our fault because we indulged him to a fault for a while now."

Sam paused again at that thought… Sure, in some ways it was better now than it was a few months ago...

Her boyfriend had been a basket of nerves right after he was rescued from Vlad's most recent and heartless plot to get him to be his son. Danny definitely hadn't been himself for weeks and weeks after that, especially when his self-respect and worth had been all but been snuffed out from his ordeal. Every part of his life was on a roller-coaster from his grades plummeting, to his being angry about every little thing, to having no desire to do anything at all. Heck, in all that time he hadn't even flinch at Dash's insults! Not to mention all of his erratic emotions where she and Tucker had thought he had bounced back to his old self in one moment, only for him to spiral back into his negative mental war in the next.

Sam couldn't even ask Jazz to help because she wouldn't be on break from college for a few more weeks. Besides, the goth girl didn't want to worry her friend when she had hoped that Danny would be feeling better sooner than he had.

Even Danny's parents were at a loss for what to do and felt very helpless, even when in reality, they didn't know that she and Tucker had been vitally instrumental in turning their son around, no matter how slowly.

Sam bit her lower lip at her next thought. And then, there were all of her boyfriend's horrible, horrible nightmares. They not only tore him apart, they just about did _her_ in—because he had unwittingly relayed them to her telepathically so intensely and frequently that they _both_ spent several restless nights. It didn't help that she had never told him how she had suffered along with him, maybe even more intensely than he, since she had totally tuned into his anxieties with her empathic and telepathic powers without his knowledge. Not that she did that dishonestly or couldn't talk to him about her own struggles, because she knew she could. But she used her powers like she did because she knew that the threat of his totally losing his mind at the time _was the emergency_ they had both agreed upon in the past that would justify their barging into their mental privacy as she had. She had no doubt that his psyche was so brittle at the time that he didn't need the additional burden of sharing each other's struggle. It simply wasn't the right time.

She felt a sharp twang in her heart at the memories of her spending hours talking to him—both verbally and telepathically — or just holding him or trying to kiss away his mental battle for sanity and peace, especially when he was merciless in blaming himself for almost becoming his evil self. She didn't know at the time if she would ever get the 'Danny' that she loved back, but she was willing to fight for him when he had been so lost at that time—and even if the end there was a possibility that he wouldn't be quite the same like he feared. It was every bit as hard —even harder —than what Clockwork had told her and Tucker it would be, especially when she was entangled in her own emotional fight in trying to stay strong for Danny's sake. And even her own grades had slipped and she was backlogged in her favorite pastime of reading, once again for his sake…She mentally sighed. Not that she regretted it, even when she had never in her entire young life had opened herself so widely to such a mental and emotional assault from a loved one—and even from herself.

Little did she know that most teens and a lot of adults wouldn't have done what she had done because they couldn't— or _wouldn't_ —love someone as deeply as she loved Danny.

But it was very worth it when she discovered that she could use those same empathic powers to help him transition away from his mental turmoil and actually heal his troubled mind and soul. Part of the way that her empathic powers had helped him transition away from being so dangerously down on himself was to make him focus on his good qualities, which also included his newly required 'level-nine' ghostly abilities. After all she, too, had wanted to forget all about her boyfriend's nightmares—and even those she actually had herself from her reactions to them—and was glad when her powers had worked well enough for her boyfriend to have recovered. So, really, she was _more_ to blame for his current state than Tucker. Still, she was not satisfied with the current status quo because her boyfriend was so focused on himself since he had bounced back that he had forgotten the lessons he had learned from all of that turmoil. And that just made her irritated again.

She finally tuned into what her friend was saying after her last comment to him, the one where they had indulged him to a fault…

"But we had to! You know what kind of a mental wreck he was for weeks after what that jerk Plasmius did to him! We couldn't have ridden him about stuff because of that!" Tucker pointed out.

"I know, I know! But now…well, I have to say that I couldn't have been sure that he was pretty much over it and more mentally stable until just a couple of days ago."

"Are you sure about that, Sam?" he asked, though he wasn't challenging her in the least. He just was a bit worried about the last time they thought he was fine. The boy finally added with a little distress in his voice, "You know how we were wrong before. We thought he would be okay like he is right now, being happy and all; but then, all of the sudden, he would crash and burn not too long after that. And it was for weeks, Sam!"

Sam bit her the inside of her lower lip when she could definitely _feel_ her friend's anxiety. She shouldn't have forgotten that they _both_ knew all too well about Danny's mental roller-coaster. And now, she was a bit ashamed that she had forgotten to take Tucker's feelings into consideration as well. But he was right. With Danny's strong emotions running amok, she really _hadn't_ been sure that he had gotten over his ordeal for these last few weeks because those strong emotions were able to interfere with some of her powers. That is why she waited for so long to bring up Danny's current ego-trip.

She suddenly doubted whether she was really right about her boyfriend's recovery. But, she was also still upset and worried about her boyfriend's current behavior. She replied a bit more tersely than she meant, "You're right I might still be wrong, Tucker, but somehow I don't think so this time. His emotions haven't been so intense, well, except for this annoying streak. So, you gotta admit that he's been on this 'happy because I'm a level-nine ghost' trip far longer than any other stretch he had in the past. Don't get me wrong. I'm relieved that I think he's finally going to be okay, which is why I think it's time for us to tell him to knock it off."

Tucker didn't say anything at first. He really hadn't noticed until she just pointed it out that Danny _was_ going a bit overboard lately. And it was true that his best friend really didn't seem interested in the stuff _he_ had wanted to show him for a few weeks now. Danny had been practically stealing the spotlight from him and Sam for a few weeks now—and they had purposely let him... And he _had_ said that 'since I'm a level-nine ghost' thing a bit too much…He didn't think it bothered him until now…Still, Danny was more fun to be around lately, too. It was now more than obvious that he was finally out of the funk he had been in for weeks after being mentally tortured—and almost brainwashed— by Plasmius. Wasn't it better to have Danny this way than be so unpredictably —and frightfully —morose as he had been for weeks after the Plasmius thing? After all, Danny was being like his 'old' self now, well, only a little bit. But now that he thought about it, mostly, no.

His thoughts were interrupted.

"Well, Tucker?" she said in a huff. "Say something!"

"What should I say? Except that I'm glad that Clockwork had told us that Danny was going to need a lot of support and patience from us because Danny's feeling a lot better lately; and I'd rather have a 'fun' Danny than a dangerously moody one with superpowers! Or don't _you_ remember all of those lame old dilapidated buildings that were going to be torn down anyways that Danny readily and very scarily demolished to work through all of his baggage?"

"Though I kinda have to agree with you, that's not the point, Tucker," she insisted. "So, you're okay with maybe having to take a back seat to the 'new and not-really-improved ' Danny and all of his showing-off from now on?"

"I don't think he's going to be like this forever, Sam. I just think we just need to give him more time."

She was still somewhat steamed and didn't want to admit yet that her friend's words were beginning to make her come around. She crossed her arms and continued, "Well, at first, I thought so, too…but, uhm, like I said, I could, you know, _feel_ that he had finally come out of his funk and would be his old self. But, instead, he seems to be getting worse with all of this showing-off. Don't you think he's been relishing in his new power level too much, especially when it apparently has spilled over into his human skills?"

Though he knew she probably was right because of her empathic powers—and that he might rile her up more— he still offered, "I still think it's really cool that he can do a lot of new things."

She growled under her breath and countered, "It's not so cool when he's still got a secret to keep! Or that he might get careless in the mist of showing off."

"So, you _want_ him to have _less_ power when he's having to fight ghosts?" he almost gasped.

"That's not what I mean, Tucker," she insisted. "I think the new stuff is neat, too."

He frowned in confusion. "Then I don't get why you're upset, Sam."

She sighed, and then replied, "It's just that I think he's been overdoing it. And haven't you noticed that he's even been showing off a bit too much at school, too? Don't you remember that at first Danny didn't even react to Dash when he was so depressed and all? He didn't even fight back when Dash started to really pick on him even more after that. I was worried about that and so made sure to make him feel good about himself. And I think I did that a little too well because now, he seems to relish using his powers to get Dash in trouble and actually looks for opportunities to bait Dash and his minions, though I kinda think they do deserve it. But then, we didn't deserve having to take all of the heat off of him just to help him work out his feelings, just to end up with someone who is all ego."

Tucker unconsciously rubbed his head with one particular memory of doing just that. "Okay, I get it now. So, why haven't you told Danny about this yet?" He then slyly smirked, "You know you could always use our 'power up' thing to do that."

She puckered her lips with the slight turmoil she suddenly felt with having to admit her feelings. And even though she was having a hard time looking at her friend in the eyes as she admitted to it all, she pushed on, "I know I should have told him one way or another, but he was, uh, too much on the edge. And I wanted to make sure I was being patient enough like Clockwork wanted. After all, you know how hard that can be for _me_." She felt her cheeks flush but she made herself go on, "And, I was kind of worried about him after he told me that he didn't know if he ever would be the same after all that crud Plasmius did to him, so I wanted to give him lots of time, too. But, I guess I was hoping he would come around by now, too. But not like this. He's just getting plain annoying and now I'm thinking we should tell him to knock it off."

She finally looked at Tucker almost pleadingly this time.

Tucker squirmed a little. He could tell that she wasn't sure about her decision and needed him to agree with and help her. Maybe she was right and Danny was showing off a bit. But he also wanted his best friend to fully recover mentally—and letting him feel empowered all of this time might have been the way…Still, he had to admit that he did want his 'old', more considerate best friend back. After all, he missed all of the sharing of stuff they always did until he had willingly put it all on the back burner to get his 'old' best friend back. Maybe now _was_ the time to help his friend see that they needed his old self again.

But before the two best friends could discuss any strategy on how to go about talking seriously to their half-ghost friend—when they hadn't done that on purpose for what seemed right now like eons ago— they both turned when they could hear his clickety-clack approaching them.

"Hey!" Danny teasingly yelled as he rolled right up to them and stopped precisely in front of them, "Here you are! Doncha know that I was nearly home before I noticed that you weren't behind me? Gee, guys, I keep forgetting that it's hard for you two to keep up with me, but I really wasn't using that much of my level-nine powers this time, so I didn't think you would have given up before you started. All you needed to do was tell me to slow down enough for you to catch up!"

Tucker frowned briefly, but Sam didn't hesitate to say, "Look, Danny, I know this is kinda of random, but we do need to tell you something. I didn't want to chase after you. Tucker did until he noticed I wasn't going to go."

"Really?" Danny asked, clueless. "You're kidding, right? Oh, I know! Heh-heh. So, why didn't you just say that you still wanted to see me do some tricks on the fountain like I did a few minutes ago? Especially when no one's around. Great idea!"

"No, that's not it, Danny. We—" Sam began, only for Danny to interrupt her.

"But you know I have to practice my new powers, guys," Danny insisted, "You know, in case there's a need for me to kick some ghost's butt. Pfft! As if it were going to be much of a fight since I'm one of those rare 'level-nine' ghosts! But we might as well have some fun while we're at it! Come on! Check this out! This is one of my best tricks yet!"

The half-ghost promptly whooshed away on his skateboard, and did a wheelie on it before sending it into a tight semi-circle turn. He then coaxed it forward in a sideward zig-zag pattern as if the skateboard was walking rather than rolling. In all that while, the teen was so self-absorbed in what he was doing that he hadn't once looked back at his friends.

"Now, do you see what I mean, Tucker?" Sam said in a low voice to her friend.

"Yeah. Don't like this déjà vu any more than his depressing ones," Tucker whispered back.

They both hurried closer to their half-ghost friend. Just as they got close enough, Tucker said, "Hey, man, not that what you're doing isn't cool, but can we just take five to talk to you about something important?"

Danny stopped what he was doing and rolled quickly to his friends and stopped with a jerk right in front of them. He didn't notice that they weren't amused.

Suddenly, Sam and Tucker hesitated because they hoped that they were right this time about their half-ghost friend's being all right mentally enough for them to pressure him.

"Well?" Danny finally asked, "What did you want to talk to me about? I got more level-nine moves to show you!"

Sam finally came out with it, "Not that we don't think all of this is fun and that you need to practice, but—"

Once again, her boyfriend interrupted her.

"Good, because I feel on top of the world with all of this level-nine power!" he said. "And I bet all of the ghosts know that because they've been chicken to come around lately. Not that I blame them. I'd be scared of facing 'me', too!" He laughed smugly.

Sam growled under her breath before she persisted, "Looks like you must be feeling way okay now. But because we're your friends, we need to tell you that we think you're going overboard with this ego-trip and—"

"Aww, Sam, lighten up! Let's not spoil the fun we've been having! Hey, I got an idea! There's even a bigger hill at the edge of the park and we could—"

This time Tucker butted in, "Hey, dude, can you just chill and listen for a little bit more? This is serious. Sam was trying to say—"

But Danny flippantly interrupted, "I don't know why you two are in a tizzy about all of this. You should be just as happy as me that there have been no ghosts causing any mischief since I started feeling better—not that you really have to worry with me around anyways!"

"Hey, you're right, Danny. That is funny that there have been no ghosts for a while now," Tucker said with a slightly perplexed frown.

But little did any of the three best friends know that it was _Skulker's_ doing that no ghosts had been making trouble in Amity Park for the past several weeks. He didn't want any ghost to discover that Vlad was….indisposed and incapable for quite a while to fight them. If they had found out, they would certainly try to horn into what Vlad considered to be his 'territory'. And so, with the help of the _Plasonar Modulator_ **[6],** the Cyborg ghost had been able to easily find individual ghosts and persuade them _not_ to come to Amity Park. And he had persuaded them by using not only his own hunter's skills but also by siccing a few of his unique trophy specimens on them.

"Duh, Tuckeroo!" Danny added with a smirk. "I told you, they're scared of me. I mean, come on. I'm practically all-powerful now! I doubt we'll see any ghosts in Amity ever again!"

Just then, however, the trio noticed a very obvious portal suddenly open in the very near distance.

Three sets of human eyes widened when they could see a large ghostly boot jutting out of the portal and obviously moving forward out of it! But they couldn't see which ghost it was because of all the smoke caused by the ecto-blasts streaming out from out of the portal.

The ghost was already attacking!

Sam was the first to recover and she dryly replied, "You just _had_ to say it, didn't you?"

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 **[1] Latin: "Let me go! Let me go!"**

 **[2] Latin: "Release me! Release me!"**

 **[3] Latin: Warrior Angel**

 **[4] Latin: Sorrowful Angel**

 **[5] Latin: "Poor little thing."**

 **[6] Plasonar Modulator** _:_ **One of Vlad's inventions. It is a watch-like, red glowing device that can worn on one's wrist. It is capable of emitting a soundless and undetectable echo that picks up ecto-energy levels, can actually identify the strength of the ecto-energy levels, and then map them on a holographic screen.** **Vlad gave it to Skulker to assist him with capturing ghosts to use against Danny during the** _ **Gold Tested in Fire**_ **adventure. The device was first introduced in Chapter 32 of pearl84 and truephan's story,** _ **Seeing is**_ **dis** _ **Believing**_ **(Listed under pearl84's name in Fanfiction in case you want to check that story out!) But, of course, y'all knew that, right? *winks***

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 **A/N: Heh-heh. I bet some of y'all think this is OOC for Danny. Not at all. We've seen this obnoxious side of himself in at least two episodes in the television series:** _ **Identity Crisis**_ **and** _ **Kindred Spirits**_ **.** _ **IC**_ **is when he gets split between his 'fun' Danny and 'superhero' Danny.** _ **KS**_ **is where we first see, ugh, Danielle, whereby Danny takes his friends for granted. I was trying to lean toward more of the irresponsible, care-free 'fun' Danny in** _ **Identity Crisis**_ **in this chapter—even when his behavior is really a combo of both facets seen in those two shows.** **Even though Danny** **is being like a peacock showing off his plumes, and is a bit too proud that he's a pretty powerful ghost right now—you know, sort of like someone who keeps boasting that he won the winning point in a game over and over again until it's obnoxious—I honestly think that he has needed this phase in his life to finally and pretty much move past the mental scars of his last encounter with Vlad. And, of course, Sam and Tucker have been crucially instrumental in that. BTW, I wanted to show Danny showing off as a HUMAN too because his ghost powers have spilled over into this human-half and improved his own athleticism in his human form.**

 **O.o Look what a new month does to you: makes you ramble on aimlessly! In any case, feel very free to also ramble on aimlessly in that little comment box below! You'll be glad that you did! Until next time, thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5 Self-Made Trouble

**A/N: Top o' the evenin' to y'all! (That's Irish-Southern talk in case you didn't know!) I can say that because I do have a wee bit of Irish in me, but mostly French and German and I was born in the South of the USA…Ah, uhm….heck, I'm really just a melting pot o' gold American! But a happy St. Paddy's day to all of ya. Gee, I wish fanfiction would let the fonts be colored green for the occasion. But since they obviously don't let that happen, be sure to wear green while reading! O.o Ahem, anyways, I hope y'all are ready for the next chapter. I don't think I need to explain anything anymore, except to say to enjoy the show!**

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Entanglement -Chapter 5—Self-Made Trouble

Danny, Sam and Tucker forgot all about their tiff when they could see ecto-blasts already coming out of the still-active portal. And they didn't need to be told that the ghost was not happy, either, especially when he—or she—had literally come out blasting away!

All three sets of human eyes searched to see which ghost it was. But they soon realized with all that smoke that the ghost was purposely using smoke-producing missiles along with his or her regular ammo. Not only did all that smoke hide his or her identity, but the smoke was also thickening and being driven downward toward the teens—no doubt to make it hard for them to counter-attack!

Not only that, but there was even more smoke and dust that was being kicked up around the humans from the areas near them that the ghost had been attacking with his or her regular ecto-blasts. The teens couldn't see that the portal had just closed with the ghost now fully in the Real World.

The smoke-screened ghost then aimed downward and shot at the fountain very near the trio of humans; and it exploded under his or her attack and ire, creating even more smoke.

Sam and Tucker reflexively jumped behind the rubble of the fountain and took a defensive stance. Even while their attacker's rays were still trying to reach them and being blocked by the large cement pieces, Sam gritted her teeth in determination. She concentrated on conjuring up her spirit telekinetic energy as quickly as she could while Tucker was quickly pounding on the keys of his PDA for one of his combat programs.

But then, the two gasped when they noticed that Danny wasn't next to them. They quickly searched for him and gasped even louder when they saw that he was just _standing_ there very close to them but _out in the open_ and still in _human_ form! But worse than that, he looked as if he had just had a large meal and was fully satisfied at just digesting it all while deftly moving only slightly enough to dodge all of the incoming rays!

"Uh, Danny, news flash," Sam tersely began through the side of her mouth, "There's a ghost here attacking us!"

But Danny, sounding almost bored, nonchalantly replied as he slightly swayed away from the next ecto-blast, "Relax, guys! My ghost sense already told me that it's just a level-six ghost. No problemo for a level-nine ghost like me! I got this!"

No sooner had Danny said this when his very bright transformation rings began to form at his waistline. The ring split both vertically and horizontally at the same time, racing outwardly while transforming him into Danny Phantom in a blink of an eye.

The Ghost Boy immediately darted upward toward the ghost, easily avoiding the continuing hailstorm of ectoplasmic rays and smoke while willing forth a dark green ectoplasmic shield.

Finally, Danny had flown upward enough away from the smoke to see who the ghost was. A memory unexpectedly flashed through his head of the last encounter with this ghost. Still, for a split second, the memory stung, but he immediately threw it aside.

However, the ghost noticed the slight hesitation of his foe and took full advantage of it. He hit the young hybrid squarely with his next shot.

Danny yelled as he ricocheted off of the ray and plummeted violently back down the earth. He slammed right into the remnants of the destroyed fountain and was momentarily stunned.

Sam and Tucker yelled and had to dive for cover again, especially when their best friend had almost slammed into _them_ that time.

But Danny quickly recovered; and with a more determined look on his face, shot back upward.

Once again, the two humans resumed what they were doing.

Sam grunted in irritation when her telekinetic powers weren't coming forth as she was commanding them to do. She really hadn't the need to practice lately but she could now kick herself for not practicing more; but, right now, all she could do was try.

Tucker, meanwhile hit the last button of his PDA and he immediately became invisible.

Sam, however, was not to be outdone when she saw Tucker disappear under the invisibility program generated by his PDA.

" _Tucker, what's your plan?"_ she asked, throwing her thoughts at his brain while securing their telepathic link. She knew that they wouldn't be able to actually hear each other clearly above the small battle that was still raging between Danny and the still-unidentified ghost just above them. She then added, " _And do you know which ghost is up there? I still can't see because of all of the smoke up there."_

" _Don't know the plan yet, but, I wanted to get to that bushy area over there that has no smoke around it without being seen until_ _ **you**_ _can think of what to do,"_ he slyly responded to her mind.

Sam immediately knew to which area he was referring since their minds were linked. They would have to run several yards of completely exposed area to get to it, but it was a good place to figure out on what to do next.

But then, Tucker added _, "And, duh! Give me a sec and let me access that ghost-identifying program. Man, I'm so glad that Danny's folks let me copy their 'spook snoop' program_!" he began before adding _, "It's not as the good as the real gadget they use for it, but it's really cool that—"_

" _Tucker!"_ she mentally growled, giving him the clear message that he was getting sidetracked.

" _Okay, Sam!"_ he replied telepathically as he pushed the last button on his PDA.

An undetectable beam shot upward and penetrated the cloud of smoke still covering the area.

A few moments later, Tucker excitedly gasped to his friend's mind, _"It's Skulker! And with that new suit Vlad gave him when Danny was in prison in the Realm Beyond Time, he's now closer to being a level-seven ghost!"_

" _You don't have to shout, even if it's telepathically, Tucker,"_ Sam slightly chided.

" _Oh, sorry, Sam. I thought the volume wasn't adjustable when we're in each other's mind,"_ he quipped _._

" _Okay, so now you know,"_ she dryly replied _. "And let me see how Danny's doing_ _ **our**_ _way before we think of the next step, okay?"_

" _You know that you know how to do it the best of us all!"_ Tucker agreed. _"And in the meantime, let me see if I have a program that can deal with Skulker, okay?"_

" _Great idea, Tucker,"_ she answered before she began to concentrate on her boyfriend.

But several moments later, the girl grunted in frustration. She couldn't connect with her boyfriend because his intense emotions at the moment were blocking her. But worse than that, she could sense that those emotions were made up mostly of smugness and overconfidence.

And, indeed, Sam was right. And even though Danny _was_ being smug and overconfident in his fight with Skulker at the moment, the young hybrid was definitely in control of the fight, which only fed more into those obnoxious emotions.

Still, the battle was still raging in spite of that.

Finally, Sam mentally threw to Tucker, _"I can't connect with Danny because he's blocking me. And I hate to say that it's all because he's being too cocky and feeling way-too-much puffed up right now. And if that is the case, then I think we're doomed!"_

" _Not if we can help it!"_ Tucker telepathically replied with determination. _"You know we both can become invisible with this program if we stay close to each other, so let's try to get to that bush area over there that isn't surrounded by smoke and see what we can do to help."_

" _You know I'm in, even when I can't reach Danny yet and I'm rustier with my other power stuff than I thought. Maybe you can distract Skulker long enough so I can start right away with that long-overdue practice_ ," she mentally said.

" _Sounds like a plan now,"_ he relayed back to her. _"Keep close and let's go, then."_

The two darted in tandem toward their designation and easily arrived to safety behind the bushes. They didn't hesitate to look up at the still-ensuing fight between Danny and Skulker.

Sam frowned in annoyance just before Tucker deactivated the invisibility program. Danny was definitely in control of the fight with Skulker, but he was also definitely _showing off_. Her boyfriend was quickly able to counter Skulker's attacks, but then counterattacked with all kinds of trick shots such as shooting under one of his legs, purposely turning away from the Ghost Hunter and twisting back to shoot over his shoulder, or flipping upside down to counter another strike. And each time, those trick shots would hit their mark.

In the meantime, she hitched in a gasp when a bright light shot out from right next to her. She bit her lip in disappointment with herself because she knew that Tucker was going to try to come up with something to help Danny and she should be concentrating on activating her telekinetic powers.

Nevertheless, she looked upward when Tucker's beam hit its mark.

"Arrggghh!" Skulker yelled as Tucker's beam hit him squarely in his robotic eyes.

But at precisely the same time that the Ghost Hunter had reflexively thrown up one of his arms to shield his eyes, Danny had gotten closer in range to deliver his next blow. But since the Ghost Boy hadn't expected either Tucker's attack or the fact that Skulker's still-blazing gun attached to that arm had shifted so radically in reaction to that assault, Danny didn't realize until it was too late that Skulker's ecto-beam had altered precisely enough to make contact with him.

"Yeow!" Danny screamed as he bounced off the ray and riveted downward again. This time, he crashed into some trees near Tucker and Sam.

Skulker finally rebooted his robotic eyes and peered toward the direction where he had calculated the light beam had come from.

He narrowed his eyes in irritation when he saw a small patch of red moving among the green foliage. When he switched to his binocular vision, he growled underneath his ghostly breath in even more irritation when he recognized who was connected to that small red-lit screen, "I'll get you for that, human!"

But the ghost had no time to follow through on his threat because he was suddenly reeling from a large ball of dark green ecto-energy that Danny had thrown at him after recovering from his last blow from the Ghost Hunter.

Danny quickly flew after the cyborg ghost as he tumbled out-of-control away from him.

Finally, Skulker's movement came to a halt. Danny could see that the impact of his last attack was enough to stun Skulker.

Though most of their fighting had been from a short distance, Danny now flew close enough for the ghost to hear him.

Danny, however, unexpectedly tensed up again at the sudden memory of the last time he had been this close to the Ghost Hunter. Irritated with himself, he purged the memory and feelings from his mind. It shouldn't matter how he had felt about the cyborg anymore since he was now convinced that it had all been a waste of his time. Skulker was like any other ghost who needed his butt kicked whenever any of them came into the Real World. He was no exception.

Even still, the teen had a nagging feeling in his gut that he should give the cyborg ghost a chance to get out on his own—even when he could still taste the sour memories about the ghost. Still, he had been feeling on top of the world with his stronger powers for long enough that he didn't want any ghost spoiling it— _especially_ Skulker.

Finally, Danny smugly addressed the still-stunned ghost, "So, Skulker, I didn't think I'd be seeing you, or really, any ghost this soon. I'm sure that word had gotten around the Ghost Zone that I'm a level-nine ghost now, so I wouldn't think any ghost would want to have their butt kicked so easily like I did to yours just now—and about to again in a moment…"

The Ghost Boy chuckled a bit. And after rubbing the back of his nails on his hazmat suit and briefly inspecting them, he glanced back up at the ghost and bragged, "Not that I can blame them for being scared to show their faces. After all, they gotta also know by now that I'm way better with everything, even my grades at school!" He then grinned mischievously and added, "Yeah, it's great to be a level-nine ghost if that means, heh-heh, spooking the spooks away from here without any effort!"

Skulker's head had finally stopped spinning enough for him to hear the whelp's last part. And now that he was very near the boy, he finally got a good whiff of him. True, he could have tracked the boy's whereabouts following the whelp's unique scent at the start of this hunt, but hunting had become so much easier and faster with the Plasmonar Modulator that the Ghost Hunter hadn't had the need to do that. Besides, Skulker was so determined—and ultimately focused—to go after the Ghost Child that he wanted to get to him as fast as possible.

Nevertheless, Skulker wrinkled his nose and frowned in dissatisfaction when he finally got that good whiff of the whelp. And he didn't Like. It. One. Bit. Any hint of what he thought was the whelp's true character was overpowered by a very powerful scent. True, he could tell that _that_ scent also masked the deep hurt that the boy had suffered under Vlad's own cruelty. But he would have thought that the whelp would have been able to have taken things into perspective and rebounded by now.

He shook that thought away and concentrated on the fouler scent. This powerful scent _wasn't_ one belonging to a noble, even heroic, ghost. Rather, it was a scent very similar to _Vlad's_ —pompous, powerful, conceited, _and selfish_. Yet, the pup's scent differed greatly from Vlad's in that the whelp reeked of _over_ confidence rather than with the confidence he always detected around Vlad.

Something inside Skulker that he didn't understand mourned this discovery. Had he been wrong after all about the whelp? He thought that the boy's true character was stronger than that and…But then, he interrupted his own thought as his face scrunched up with a combination of focus and irritation.

He grumbled to himself, _"I couldn't care less about any news the Ghost Brat felt compelled to give me! I want to finally mount his hide on my mantle!_

He growled out loud in threat this time _, "_ So, level-two or level-nine, I am still taking your hide, whelp!"

And without another thought or word, another gun jolted out of the Ghost Hunter's suit and he immediately fired it.

Danny, however, easily averted the ray and uttered with a sly smirk, "Whoah, dude! You don't need to waste your ammo anymore. And just face it: all that lame gear you have in that silly suit isn't any match for me. So, just give it up and beat it without all the pain you will deserve to get if you force me to kick you back into your lame world!"

Skulker merely grunted and produced two cannons which opened fire right away at the still-grinning Ghost Boy.

Danny easily batted the incoming rockets away with several ectoplasmic green discs.

And the battle resumed.

Meanwhile, Sam was sweating in concentration trying to summon her spirit powers. Finally, they spurted to life; and she was so relieved at seeing the glow forming around her hands, that she didn't care if they were still fuchsia in color.

Smiling slightly, she hurriedly whispered to her friend, "Hey, Tucker, I've got an idea. I've finally gotten my telekinetic power to do something. Do you think you could shine some more of that light beam at me and then I'll try to reflect it back at Skulker, only with a slight twist? I bet he won't see this coming! It will be like getting hit with a beam of light with _a real solid_ punch this time."

"Do you think you could do that?" Tucker suddenly gushed in excitement.

She frowned a little in irritation but honestly replied, "Well, I hope I can. After all, spirit energy has been known to fuse with all types of energy."

"How do you know that?" Tucker then asked, totally awed by that bit of information.

She smirked this time and answered, "From Libro, of course. I've remembered a lot of stuff from him, especially since, well, you know."

He did know she was referring to the 'Jiva thing' again. But that was alright with him. All he wanted to do was help Danny defeat Skulker.

Suddenly, the two yelled and had to hit the ground when a blast from Skulker disintegrated the bushes to the right of their hiding spot. They didn't know that Skulker had been able on the last go-around in his battle with the Ghost Brat to repel the Ghost Boy far enough away to take another stab at getting Tucker back for that 'blinding him' trick.

"Man, that was close! Do you think Skulker saw us?" Tucker gasped.

The bushes to the left of them then vaporized.

"Does that answer your question?" Sam answered with a twinge of irritation lacing her voice. She was going to have to concentrate once again to get her powers going after having to be sidetracked—as in having to have hit the deck moments before!

"Oh, man, he must have seen us! Where's Danny?" Tucker then asked Sam in panic.

Suddenly, a black-and-white blur whooshed just above them and arced upward.

"Does that answer your question?" She dryly replied, "And let's hope that Mr. Overconfident will stop fooling around and finish this fight!"

But what Sam didn't know was that Danny was actually now enjoying this fight. Though Skulker did get in a few lucky shots, it was very easy for Danny to counter the ghost even with all the neat trick shots he was using. And it pleased him to see the Ghost Hunter get more and more frustrated—all in vain. It was a real ego-booster to an ego that was already over-the-top puffed up. Besides, he continued the fight because he was now more curious than irritated like he had been at the beginning of the fight to know as to why the ghost wasn't throwing his usual banter at him.

Sam and Tucker cautiously got back up off of the ground and could see that the fight was still on. And as time ticked, Sam began to get ticked off. It was now obvious to her that Danny was toying with the hunter.

"Okay, Tucker," she began with grit, "Looks like it's up to us to finish this fight since Mr. Level-Nine-Ghost is having too much fun. Ready to try again with my idea?"

"Since we have only one set of bushes left for Skulker to blow up along with us when he gets another chance, you bet!" the boy replied as he rapidly pushed buttons on his PDA.

He was so confident in his female friend's idea that he aimed the light beam he had just generated at her without hesitation.

Sam, meanwhile, had been able to produce her powers more easily this round and had quickly readied herself. Her deep fuschia-colored Spectre aura surrounding her hands quickly cupped the beam of light thrust upon her as easily as scooping up suds in a bubble bath. The white light was quickly absorbed within her purplish-red energy, pulsating with activity while slowly turning Sam's energy to a deep pink in color.

" _Why_ _ **pink**_ _?"_ Sam privately moaned without losing her concentration. She quickly scanned the two ghosts above while trying to increase the power of the beam. And even though she slightly winced when Skulker saw an opening in Danny's defense and repelled the teen away momentarily, Sam didn't hesitate to take advantage of that break.

Grunting in both effort and determination, Sam swung both of her hands upward and aimed the now solid deep pink beam right at Skulker. In the next instant, however she and Tucker gasped.

Unbeknownst to Sam, Skulker had never lost sight of the two humans and, of course, knew that they would be up to something. In fact, he could tell by this fight that the Ghost Brat was just toying with him and it would be very hard for the Ghost Hunter to win this bout. But he wasn't a ghost who easily backed down from any kind of fight—especially when he was out for any type of blood when coming here! So, _if_ he couldn't beat the Ghost Child, he _would_ finish off the two human brats when he got another chance. In the end, _that_ would fix the pompous Ghost Whelp!

Once his latest attack was able to make contact and thrust the young hybrid several hundred yards from him, he instinctually knew he had that other chance at ridding himself of the Ghost Whelp's pesky helpers. But then, he could see from the corner of his eye that Danny was quickly narrowing his approach to him at the same time that Sam had shot at Skulker.

The Ghost Hunter wickedly grinned when he knew that it was perfect time. A split second later, he had zigged from Sam's incoming beam just when it intersected with Danny instead!

The Ghost Boy ricocheted off of the very tangible and powerful pink beam; and because he had been flying so quickly counter-attacking Skulker, the impact sent him harshly into the ground.

"Owww!" Danny moaned, wondering if another ghost had attacked him. But as he sat up, he shook his head in denial—and to try to clear it. His ghost sense hadn't been activated, so who would…

But then, he spied Sam and Tucker in the near distance rapidly approaching him. He quickly got off the ground.

"Hey, dude, are you okay?" "I'm so sorry, Danny!" Tucker and Sam panted out at the same time once when they got to him.

Sam then hurriedly continued, "I meant to…"

Suddenly, they heard an incoming missile. They bolted from the area just before the ground erupted and sent a large burst of sand flying in the area.

Danny almost growled when the trio regrouped, "Will you two just let me handle Skulker? I told you that I got this!" Then glancing at Tucker's PDA, he added, obviously irked, "Just put that away, Tucker and get behind some bushes or something like before!"

Without another word, Danny bolted upward.

Sam's face puckered in anger and frustration before she grumbled to her other friend, "I was going to tell him that I meant to hit Skulker, but now maybe it was _karma_ that I hit Danny!"

"I can't believe that he doesn't want us to help him!" Tucker said, crushed by his ghost friend's remarks. "We're a team!"

"Yes, we are, whether Danny likes it or not, Tucker," Sam then softly said before placing her hands on one of Tucker's shoulders sympathetically. "And I'm surprised he didn't also use that lame 'because I'm a level-nine-ghost' line this time."

She bit her inner lip when she could see that she hadn't cheered her friend. Still, she hurriedly said, "So, let's go see if Mr. 'Ego-Much' is finally going to wrap this fight up, okay?"

With a weak smile, Tucker nodded; and gripping his PDA more firmly, off they went to where the action was.

But much to their dismay, the two humans could tell that Danny was still in his 'play with Skulker' mood when he re-engaged the ghost. The ghost teen was once again using several trick shots in countering Skulker's attacks instead of seriously ending the fight.

Meanwhile, the Ghost Hunter was getting more and more agitated by the Ghost Boy's attitude and fighting method. He didn't want to admit that the only shots that had been effective against the pup were when the whelp had been careless in aiming one of his own. He gritted his teeth even when he didn't want to admit even more: the Ghost Brat had gotten much stronger and wasn't even working up a sweat in this fight now that he was a level-nine ghost.

But Skulker's thoughts were interrupted by the annoying, cocky-sounding voice of the Ghost Child.

"Gee, Skulker, looks like you're very rusty. How long has it been since you've been on a decent hunt? Pfft. Not that you're a decent hunter to begin with by the looks of your sorry outfit and even sorrier fighting. So, you can't count this as much of a hunt, huh? I guess that would explain why you don't have the nerve to banter back."

Danny chuckled just before he shot another beam at the cyborg ghost. But this time, the young hybrid had been so cocky that his aim had been _very_ sloppy.

Suddenly, Skulker produced a shield, and Danny's beam refracted away from them and downward toward the two humans watching the scene below.

Danny, however, didn't notice the beam's trajectory, or the fact that Skulker was internally grinning because he could see with his peripheral vision that the beam was headed directly to those two annoying sidekicks. This would be delicious!

Sam, however, had seen Danny's dark green beam quickly heading their way; but Tucker hadn't because he had been trying to find another program on his PDA. She gasped and reflexively grabbed her friend's shirt and yanked him out of the line of fire. But she then had to help pull him up when he lost his balance before she dashed off.

But because her reaction was still slightly delayed, the _level-nine_ beam made contact with….Tucker's PDA!

The tiny machine instantly shattered and its pieces propelled outward. Tucker yelled at the combined sting of the impact of his PDA's remnants on the hand that had been holding it and the last of Danny's energy beam that had grazed off his skin as well.

Though the injury to Tucker's hand was minor, the injury to the techno-geek's reaction for what happened to his PDA was devastating.

The dark-skinned teen immediately sunk to his knees in front of the smoldering shell and pieces of his PDA and scooped them up in grief.

Sam ran back to her friend when she could see he hadn't followed her and grabbing him by his arm, frantically yelled, "Tucker! We're still out in the open and Skulker's still in the 'shoot first and don't ask questions later' mood. Let's get out of here!" But then, her empathic powers hit her squarely in her eyes when she saw his face. Now more frantic about his emotional distress and seeing some blood on one of his hands, she said, "Ohmigosh! Are you alright, Tucker? Did Danny's beam hit you?"

But that is when the goth girl saw the pieces of what was left of Tucker's PDA on the ground. She looked up at her friend, and when she could see the tears already welling in his eyes, she immediately said, "Oh, Tucker, I'm so sorry! I'm sure that Danny…"

" **How could Danny do that to me**?" Tucker choked out, cutting her off. "I was only trying to help!"

Just then, Sam caught something in the corner of her eye and looked up.

"Look!" she cried, pointing in the direction of what was happening.

Still distraught, Tucker nevertheless obliged her and his eyes widened at the sight.

The sky just behind Skulker —who was still engage in battle with Danny —was twisting very oddly before a circle of glowing black energy intermixed with flashes of grey lightning quickly formed and burst outward before a huge black oddly-shape ball slammed right into Skulker, completely engulfed him, and shot back from whence it had come. It all happened in a blink of an eye before the portal—and Skulker— was gone!

"Huh?" Danny gasped at this totally unexpected development.

But then the Ghost Boy frowned at his next thought and flew down to his friends, who hadn't moved from the area they had been when the portal had erupted.

Once he alit, Danny indignantly huffed, "Why did you make that portal, Tucker?! I told you that I had this!"

" _And I've_ _ **had it**_!" Tucker yelled back. "I stayed out of it like you wanted, so I don't know why you destroyed my PDA! Here I was just trying to help and you didn't want any of it and so you made sure that I couldn't help you anymore! How could you do that to me, dude?"

Still irritated, Danny replied, "What are you talking about?"

After all these stressful weeks when Danny had been so inconsiderate of both him and Sam—and now that his PDA was in shambles because of his friend's carelessness—something snapped inside of Tucker's psyche.

Tucker's lower lip quivered even as he growled back, "Nothing, just like everything else you've ever been interested in for the past few weeks with Sam and me! But, heck, I can take a hint—however cruel it is!"

He started to leave when Danny grabbed one of his arms to stop him. "We haven't finished yet," Danny insisted with a frown.

Tucker violently pulled his arm away and growled through gritted teeth, "Yes, we have!"

His reaction actually startled Danny, and the half-ghost stepped back.

Without another word, Tucker twisted away from his friends and took off running. And it was just in time, too, because the tears came rolling down his cheeks shortly afterward.

Though she was worried about Tucker, Sam had to block all of the intensely hurt feelings she could practically palpate radiating off of Tucker. And though she tried to fight it, her eyes began to water with sympathy for Tucker and anger at her boyfriend.

Danny's eyes widened in shock and confusion. As he turned to his girlfriend searching for help, he blurted out, "W-What just happened?"

"You're a 'level-nine' ghost. Figure it out!" she angrily hissed before she, too, turned around and dashed off as tears rolled down her cheeks, leaving a stunned Danny behind…

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 **A/N: I have to agree and disagree with my wonderful beta, pearl84, about this chapter. We both agree that we hate seeing our fav trio fight. But she feels a bit guilty that she feels more bad for Danny than for Sam and Tucker. She feels that Danny's so messed up from what happened to him. And so, he clearly doesn't know how to deal with it; and he doesn't realize he's turning into Vlad, only worse. She also guesses that he realizes it now that he blew it with his friends. I see her point, but I feel more bad for Sam and Tucker. They, of course, aren't experts on helping someone heal mentally from a great trauma. But they did the best they knew how to help Danny heal…and they did succeed in doing that, but at the expense of their own wants and needs. They have suffered along with him and he doesn't realize it at this point. In fact, I believe most people going through some kind of emotional trauma often do NOT think of anyone else's feelings, only the emotional trauma during their crisis. So, I also agree that I feel a bit bad for Danny because he's still trying to sort everything out. But he is now more mentally stable enough to start remembering the lessons and get some balance, but he's actually unconsciously refusing to do that because he feels so good all puffed up from being so powerful. Again, he has been this way in past episodes, so this is nothing new to his character.**

 ***blinks like a deer in headlights* Did I just let all of those secret thoughts leak out of my brain? Well, then, just think of that as a lead for you to let all of your secret thoughts about this chapter leak right out of your brains and fill up that little empty box below! Thanks for reading! Until next time, dear readers!**


	6. Chapter 6 Trouble in the Making

**A/N: A very Holy Good Friday to all of you, dear readers, and a joyous Blessed Easter as well! As you remember in the last chapter, Danny and his friends were fighting Skulker. Just before Skulker disappears into a portal, Danny has accidentally destroyed Tucker's futuristic PDA and this is the breaking point for Sam and Tucker as far as being overindulgent to Danny while his ego and psyche heal from his ordeals with Vlad. As you can see from this chapter's title, things are far from settled. Sit back, and enjoy the show!**

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Entanglement—Chapter 6—Trouble in the Making

Tucker hurriedly and desperately zigged-zagged his way through Central Park, all the while brusquely wiping any tear that managed to brush his cheeks. He didn't want to see either of his friends right now because they could never understand what he was feeling.

His chest pounded in pain not only because he was running at full speed. _He was crushed._ He had never felt so useless as he did at this moment. And that was because the _only thing_ that had made him feel useful whenever he and his friends had to fight ghosts had just been _destroyed_ by his half-ghost friend!

His clouded thoughts increasingly distorted his musings as he ran as far away as he could at the moment…Sure, he was able to help his friend fight ghosts before he had gotten this latest PDA. But only in a very small way. Danny had always been the real hero in all those ghost fights.

" _All I really was, was his little sidekick!"_ he mentally grumbled, _"Until I got this new PDA from Skultech, that is. I finally could hold my own especially when I didn't get any special powers like Sam…"_ he growled a bit _, "…or like Danny."_

He then added with more bitterness, " _Oh, I get it now! He was jealous of all that tech power I had and he wanted to keep me as his little sidekick instead of a teammate! Of course, he would have been happy to see my PDA destroyed!"_

The dark-skinned boy was so upset as he ran onward even as he was fatiguing that he didn't even entertain the thought that Danny had destroyed his most treasured thing by accident. And he had forgotten all about what he had learned after his wish to be more powerful than Danny had been granted by Desiree. True, that was so unlike Tucker not to let go of those kinds of memories and move on; but he was so irrational and distressed at this point that he had unconsciously let old wounds open again and feed into his already cluttered, anxious thoughts.

So, all that was filling Tucker's heart and mind right now was the loss of his most priceless possession —all because of Danny's carelessness and cockiness.

" _Sam was right,"_ he mentally moaned in anguish and anger as he unconsciously slowed his pace, _"Danny has been way too busy being stuck up with himself and I didn't see it! He didn't even_ _ **bother**_ _to see where his ecto-beam went, much less care that he offed my PDA! He has no idea that when he destroyed my baby, he might as well have destroyed a part of me!"_

Though the boy was thinking more and more irrationally as time lapsed, he was partly-right about that. Technology was his life; and having even one of his gadgets wrecked beyond repair would be as devastating as if he had lost a childhood pet. However, he was so distraught right now, he couldn't admit the fact that in spite of being obsessed with technology, he _did_ have a life outside of it.

His thoughts twisted in another direction. He was now not only angry with Danny. He also felt very hurt: All of these weeks, when he had been going overboard with supporting his half-ghost friend mentally: listening to his rants, his nightmares, helping him work through his anger and bitterness and then helping him cool down and see the bright side of things again. All those times when he set aside all of his own needs, when he overlooked things he didn't like just to help Danny —and for what? Just to have Danny repay him by destroying the most important and prized thing that he had? How could who he thought was his best friend be that cruel?

The dark-skinned boy angrily brushed back more tears that continued to flow as he darted forward again in a short-lived burst. His thoughts pounded his mind as his feet pounded the ground.

His PDA had been unique and utterly priceless. He had first gotten it from Skultech 9.9 during the Poisoned Ghost War, which —once again, all because of Danny! — now only existed within the memories of him, his friends and Danny's family. At first, he really didn't realize what a treasure he had until he had successfully hacked into it and discovered a whole other world of technology that he hadn't thought possible until then.

The PDA was so advanced that it was able to store immeasurable data. Now he could kick himself for transferring _all_ of the data he had had on his other, more inferior, PDAs onto it.

And he could kick himself even more for not activating the device's own protective shield around it during the fight with Skulker. But then again, he didn't have time to do that in the heat of the moment —or worse —to have it even cross his mind that his best friend would have callously destroyed it!

" _Man, my life is over,"_ he mentally wailed. _"I'm nothing without my PDA!"_

Tucker hurriedly glanced back; and even though the day was rapidly coming to an end, he could see that his friends hadn't come after him. In a way, even that hurt.

" _Hmmph. Why would Danny come anyways?"_ he bitterly asked himself as he slowly loped onward. _"How could I forget how irritated he was at_ _ **me**_ _just a few minutes ago?! When it was all his fault! The jerk! Of course, he wouldn't give a fig about me right now?!"_

But then, his heart sank a bit. _"But why hasn't Sam…?"_ he began, only to stop in thought, slightly smirk and answer himself, _"Because she might be chewing him out right now, that's why!"_

But what the anguish teen didn't know was that Sam hadn't done that at all. She had run home because her empathic powers were out-of-control and she was wrestling with her own emotions at the moment.

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Danny, meanwhile, was still standing where his friends left him, stunned at his friends' reactions to his fight with Skulker. He couldn't understand why they were so upset. Where had their explosive reactions even come from? Shouldn't they be congratulating him for winning the fight? Well, he sort of won, anyways, because Skulker had been swallowed up by that portal.

He glanced up toward the general area where that portal had been.

"I don't get it," Danny muttered with worry this time; but he obviously was not just talking about the portal. "Everything's been going so great lately. I thought we were all having a good time! And how could they just leave like that? They should be more concerned about what that portal that took Skulker was all about!"

He huffed as he took off and flew to the place where he had last seen Skulker.

After searching around a bit, the teen's ghost sense was suddenly activated! Danny pulled himself into a tight 360-degree turn as he hurriedly scanned all around him. But there was no ghost! But when he almost reached the starting point of the pivotal circle he had just made, his ghost sense went off again! This time, his sharp vision caught sight of a very small glowing area several yards from him. Keeping his eye glued on the area, he floated forward. He startled a bit when his ghost sense was activated yet a third time.

"What? Is that glowing stuff what's activating my ghost sense?" he gasped at the realization.

He now increased his speed until he could clearly see what was bothering his ghost sense.

There was some kind of …residue still clinging to the atmosphere of some strange ghostly material he had never seen before. He couldn't help but touch the small piece of black stuff; but when he did, it not only stuck to his white glove, but it actually jolted him, as if it were still alive with the same kind of lightning he had first seen when the portal had formed.

But little did he know that he had gotten zapped with a piece of Ĉasista's webbing, which was still impregnated with electrical ecto-energy and was still very much connected to her…

He yelled in pain as spots instantly appeared before his eyes and his mind was numbed for several moments.

When his mind and vision cleared, he noticed that there were several small bolts of electricity still shooting outward from the still fading portal and threatening to zap him again.

He jolted away from the area, suddenly afraid; and he glanced down reflectively for his friends' help and support—only to remember again, they were gone. They had left him.

No, they had left him because _he_ had upset them.

"Ow," he whispered as he rubbed his arms; but the sudden hurt in his heart swallowed up the physical pain lingering from the brutal shock.

And though he knew he should be worried about what that strange portal was and what it meant, he could not bring himself to care anymore.

With a sigh, he descended to the ground and changed back. His level-nine powers were suddenly not that amazing anymore, either. How could they be when he didn't have friends to enjoy them with?

The boy paused as his eyes widened with his next question. But _had they_ been enjoying it together? Or…. Had it been just… him?

The distress in his heart grew as he attempted to think back to the past weeks. But he realized he couldn't answer that question, because he didn't know! He never once _looked_ at his friends to see how they were feeling—or if they had even been smiling—for what seem like forever!

But he remembered they had been encouraging him. They had not once said anything to him for showing off his new level-nine powers!

In fact, all he knew was that Sam and Tucker had seemed so cool with everything he had been doing for the last several weeks. And so, it had never occurred to him during that period when he was mentally unstable and up to only a few minutes ago, that they had purposely buried their own stress and mounting dissatisfaction.

But the more he thought back to the past weeks, the more he began to understand he had not once been paid attention to them. Otherwise, he would have known how his friends had _really felt._ They shared a tangible connection, after all; and he had completely severed it with his constant feelings of elation and reckless abandon—and selfishness.

What had been wrong with him?

His self-questioning once more hit him as if he had been pounded by one of Pariah Dark's fists… But then, unexpectedly, his mind whirled back to that awful surreal memory he last had about the evil Ghost King…He wasn't certain at that time whether he had really become a melding of the evil ghost and his ghost-side, like Plasmius had said. In the mist of that near brain-washing, he had believed he had killed the ghost and had become evil. But what was worse, he _felt drawn to the evil,_ as if all that terrible power was the ultimate rush, and with the awful thrill, he had been tempted to kill Plasmius!

Plamius!

Though the thought of the older hybrid was bitter, he had to admit that he hadn't fully come to terms with what happened to him with Vlad because Sam and Tucker had actually tried to shield him from the memories and encouraged all of his strengths...only for him to begin to act like the big jerk.

His throat and heart tightened as the memory—and all the other horrible ones— threatened to consume him as it had for weeks after he was rescued from Plasmius, only for him to break their bonds within the last couple of weeks—all because of his friends!

" _Just where have I've been, then?"_ he mused with a frown. _"Because it certainly hasn't been_ _ **here**_ _with Sam and Tucker."_

More memories were stirred up. He had thought he was going to lose his mind back then, and he remembered being out-of-control for a while.

But what about his friends?

His heart sank with the realization: not only had he not even really noticed his friends during all of those weeks, he hadn't _thought_ about them _at all_ as well. But now that he was finally focused on them, he could kick himself when he suddenly recalled just how his friends had looked and acted several moments ago. He had blown them off _then_ just as easily as he had been doing all these weeks. And as if curtains had been pulled back and let the light in, his more empathetic—and insightful— side finally had the chance to show through for the first time in weeks.

"Of course they blew up on me! They couldn't take anymore of my pompous self-righteous ways!" Danny exclaimed angrily; but his anger was at himself. "I've treated my friends like crud. And thanks to me, Tucker… "

A wave of cold sank through him as he gripped his hair when Tucker's last words finally resonated.

"I… I destroyed Tucker's PDA… I destroyed it."

Danny looked down and finally noticed the tiny sparkles of metal on the ground.

"No… how could I have done that to him?" he whispered as he dropped to his knees and grabbed one of the tiny shards. "All this time, I've been no different in enjoying the rush of my level-nine power than I was when Vlad convinced me I was evil… Maybe he was right, because how else could anyone describe what I've done to Tucker?"

He frowned at himself and muttered, "I gotta talk to Tucker…" He paused a bit and sadly continued, "But we **haven't been** talking to each other, have we?… **I've** been doing all of the talking for what seems like forever; and I haven't been talking **with** Tucker, but **at** Tucker — **and Sam**!"

He then bit his lower lip as he regretfully acknowledged, "And even if we could talk, I'm responsible for destroying his PDA!"

Now he fully understood what Sam had meant what she had last said to him.

He cast his eyes downward and slightly shifted them side-to-side, searching through his more recent memories of his friends. He frowned in disappointment. He had _no_ memories of his friends except that they were simply _there_ in them. He didn't even remember their talking about themselves or making any decisions about what they were going to do with him. And even then, they were always encouraging or cheerful —or both.

"I've been a mega-jerk," he admitted with a sigh. "And for far too long…But, why didn't they tell me?"

But then, he sadly answered his own question, "Because I needed them to help me work through all of that crud with Plasmius, that's why! And both of them did a great job with it, like the great friends that they are…. And all I did was be a jerk back to them!"

His heart constricted with his next thought. "But they didn't bargain on ending up with a jerk who enjoyed all that power they encouraged. And I should have known better than to let any of my powers control me!"

Any semblance of cockiness, arrogance, and overconfidence suddenly slid right off of him—just like the kind, easy-going soul that he truly was—especially when he would listened to it when he finally tuned into it.

"Gee, Fenton, and you thought you actually had your act together about all that crud you went through with Vlad. But all you've done was traded one mess for another," he chided himself before he cringed and added, "Uh, that sounded weird! But you know what you mean!"

Still, he threw those thoughts aside and focused back on his friends.

And then, like a competition high-board diver, the young hybrid pulled hard to his left and then backwards in a half-twist before he dove downward and headed to his girlfriend's house. He sure hoped she would be there.

Then, he thought about calling her telepathically. There was a chance he could tell her right away and get her to see that he wasn't clueless anymore —well, not right now, anyways.

As he flew on, he concentrated on his girlfriend. But then, he frowned when he couldn't connect with her. He sighed when he guessed why. "Honestly, dude, you've got to work on those social skills Ms Tetslaff is always harping about in health class! Sam was _very_ upset when she left a while ago, remember?"

He landed in a nearby shadowy alley and turned human. He then walked up to the front door of Sam's house but hesitated to knock.

He bit his lower lip. He was really sorry to have upset his girl. And he deserved any verbal stings his girlfriend might throw at him in the next few minutes—if she would see him, that is. After all, if there was one thing he could depend on Sam for, it was for her to be straightforward with him when he needed his attitude adjusted. He now realized that she had restrained herself for all these weeks until he could get his head together; and she must have sensed with her special empathic power within the last couple of weeks that he could take whatever she needed to say to him in the next few moments.

"Well, I'm depending on that same wonderful power for her to empathize with me more than chew me out —even when I deserve not only to be chewed up, but to be spit out!"

Finally, he knocked on the door….

In all that long while that Danny was finally listening to his conscience, Sam had long gotten to her room, threw herself face-first onto her bed, gripped onto the covers and bawled into them. She was angry at Danny and her heart was hurting for Tucker.

Tucker and she had made extra sure that they had done what Clockwork had wanted. And she had felt for about a week now that Danny had pretty much gotten over his anxiety and mental instability over the Plasmius affair. But even when she felt that, she had given her boyfriend more slack, mainly because she couldn't help but feel his struggle and understand it.

But now, did he even appreciate them anymore?

She cried a bit more at her next thought. Her boyfriend had told her that he was afraid that he wouldn't be the same after all of that mental torture and she had assured him that it would be okay because she felt that he was just saying that then and he would get better. But she hadn't expected this kind of change—even when it was mostly her fault. If it meant that he would now be a pompous peacock always willing to display his plumage, she just didn't know. But then again, she wouldn't have wanted a mental wreck of a boyfriend, either. The conflict assaulted her heart and mind and she cried a bit more.

But then, her thoughts drifted toward Tucker.

With her empathic powers, she had sensed his feelings when he had been trying to help Danny these past few weeks, but especially not too long ago when his PDA had been destroyed.

At first, when Tucker was helping Danny, she wasn't at all worried about Tucker's feelings because through it all, he really could let things roll off of him. He was a unique kind of guy who always embraced the present. He always lived to the fullest what was happening at the moment without letting the past weigh him down or the future worry him. But, after all, he was human; and right now, and even though he was still embracing the present, the present was being very cruel to him. And he, like her, had been under a lot of stress helping Danny. And Danny's accidental destruction of Tucker's PDA must have been the breaking point for Tucker. Of course, it would be, since that PDA had been his pride and joy—after Valerie, that is. She could now understand how angry he was at Danny and why he was so heartbroken over the loss of his PDA.

She cried a little more in pity for her techno-friend; but a few moments later, she felt something stir within her. She instantly chided herself for being that selfish! She had to get a hold of herself so that she could go and see about _Tucker_. After all, she was his friend, too!

"Okay. Stop. Crying," she silently commanded herself, even when she was still panting when her emotions were still on fire. "This is a waste of time and you have things to do! Tucker needs a good friend now!"

With some effort, she breathed slowly in and then out trying to control herself. She had to do that a few more times before she knew that she was making progress.

And just as her breathing had slowed to a normal rhythm, she heard a quiet rap on her bedroom door.

"W-Who is it?" she softly asked, irritated at herself when her speech was halting from all of that crying, even when for all intents and purposes, she was now in control of her emotions.

" _Bubele, Danny's downstairs. He asked to see you,"_ her grandmother's voice said through the door _. "And he must be very sorry about something because he's being even more polite than he usually is."_

Sam couldn't help but slightly smirk at her grandmother's words. She was probably right, as usual, especially when her boyfriend had arrived at her house like a 'regular' guy instead of just phasing into her house like the big shot ghost he'd been lately. Nevertheless, and even though she was emotionally drained at the moment, she still felt conflicted at seeing her boyfriend. Just why _did_ he come here in his human form?

She sighed. One way or the other, she knew she was going to have to see her boyfriend. But if he was here just to be a jerk, she wasn't going to hold back what she felt about it this time.

She finally replied, "Alright, Grandma, could you please tell him that I'll be down in a minute?"

Just as she heard her grandmother's scooter backing up, the girl walked over to her bathroom and started to wash her face. But when she looked at herself in the mirror, she frowned at the reflection and said, "Great, my eyes are still red, and thanks to Danny being such a jerk! …Whatever he's here to say better be good!"

She turned and headed to the bedroom door and then down the stairs.

When her eyes first met Danny's she threw what she could feel from him right away and turned her eyes away. She didn't want to get emotionally out of control again. And she was still very upset with him. Still, she couldn't help but tell that the moment he had noticed her reddened eyes that he had become upset that he had made her cry…and that he was sorry, very, very sorry.

But when she looked back at him, his eyes were lowered this time and he was nervously making small circles with one of his feet against the floor while waiting patiently for Sam to get a little closer.

Finally, he could tell that she was near enough for them to talk.

"Uhm," he began as he brought his left arm up and nervously rubbed the back of his head. "Uhm, I-I've been a jerk, haven't I?" he asked almost pleadingly. He still couldn't bring himself to look her in the eyes again.

Even though Sam could feel that her boyfriend was sorry, she had kept her emotions pent up and suffered for too long. And so, his question rubbed her the wrong way, even if part of her knew he was trying to apologize.

"Yeah, only a lot!" Sam snapped. "How can you even ask me that after how badly you've been treating me?! And Tucker?! Danny you destroyed his PDA!"

"I… Sam, it was an accident," Danny stammered awkwardly.

"I don't care!" Sam cut him off; and her boyfriend instantly silenced. "All the stuff you've done that led to that wasn't an accident! And that's the point! Don't you get it? After everything, how can… how can you be so shallow?!"

"There's no excuse I could give you to take back how I've treated you and Tucker," Danny replied with shame. "But I'm… I'm going to try to fix things…"

"Is that Danny or a 'level-nine' ghost saying that?" she dared to press, though her voice had dropped to a talking level.

"Danny the dweeb—" he mumbled. After all, he deserved that slight barb she had thrown at him. "—the 'Danny' that wouldn't be even worth a thing if he didn't have you and Tucker at his side. Sam, I'm sorry. Please, I know I've hurt you and Tucker; and I need to make it better. I need you to forgive me. And I need to tell you that 'Danny the jerk' is over with. I want to just be me again. I just want you and Tucker back. Please?"

He smiled weakly as he added, "You still like 'Danny the dweeb', right?"

This time, Sam slightly smirked. She couldn't help but hear 'her Danny' in his comment. Like swallowing a bitter pill, the anger and hurt was suddenly gone. Being able to let out how she felt had soothed her previously restless soul. But what really reignited her heart was to see Danny being Danny again. And she finally could _really_ feel how sorry he was.

Besides, she could never really stay angry at him very long, even when he had been a nauseating Mr. Show-off. She now knew that underneath, she had sensed that he would get to be his old self pretty much —even if it did seem to take an awfully long time for him to get there.

A moment later, the boy finally looked up at his girlfriend because she still hadn't answered his question. But his face melted with slight relief when he could tell that she wasn't angry at him anymore.

Still, he didn't want to screw up this moment by saying anything else.

"No," she answered. I like _Danny_. Just Danny," she said almost sadly.

"Me, too, Sam. And I think I'm ready to be _the real_ me again," he answered soberly.

Suddenly, Sam's mother came into the room after hearing her daughter's anguished voice a few moments ago. When she saw that her boyfriend was the one who had upset her, she frowned and said with irritation, "Are you alright, honey?"

Sam certainly didn't want to stop her conversation with Danny now that they were finally talking to each other; and so, she assured the woman, "Yes, Mom. Uhm, we were just talking, that's all."

Sam could see that her mother wasn't convinced; but to her relief, her mother frowned at Danny and said through pursed lips, "Alright, just let me know if you need anything, okay?"

"Sure, thanks, Mom," Sam said with a weak smile as her mother left the room.

Sam glanced at her boyfriend; but then, pointing to the small couch next to them, she almost whispered, "Uh, since we're being kinda obvious right now, do you want to sit down and then talk, uhm, _our_ way?"

At first, the thought of connecting telepathically scared him a bit. Neither of them had done that for weeks because his emotions over the Vlad thing had been too charged for Sam to even have tried with much success. But, then again, he had done it to her just a couple of days ago, and tried to as he flew to her house, when he had been feeling much better. He paused and felt guilty yet again. He had been feeling _too_ much better, all right, to the point of being a real _dolt_.

Once again, Sam came to his rescue. "But we don't hafta if you don't want," she quickly added as she sat down.

"NO!" he accidentally and loudly blurted out; but then, he immediately followed up with a much quieter voice, "I mean, sure…It's…It's just that I'm rusty and don't want to screw up anymore."

"We've all been too rusty," she offered before she added, "So, want to maybe just practice?"

She was able to coax a small smile from her boyfriend just before he slowly sat down next to her, leaned against the back of the couch, and closed his eyes.

She knew that he had meant 'yes' by that gesture and she also leaned back and closed her eyes to concentrate.

Before too long, Danny felt the pressure on one spot just behind his forehead and he mentally uttered, _"Sam?"_

" _Yes, it's me,"_ she answered telepathically.

" _Well, at least this stuff feels the same. And we've got to make up for lost time,"_ he began with a sigh only heard in their minds.

" _Yeah, but only if Mr. Showoff isn't in it,"_ She replied in a slight tease.

Danny still felt that he deserved that, but he slightly countered, _"Well, I have to admit that feeling all of the new power was a rush, but I shouldn't have been the only one on the ride. I should have had my friends along the ride with me rather than taking them for one."_

Sam mentally replied, _"At least I'm glad that you see that now, Danny. But we both won't be totally okay with it until we get Tucker on board."_

" _Yeah, he was my next stop,"_ Danny informed her _. "But what can we really do about his PDA?"_

" _Nothing. But at least he needs to know how upset you're about it and will try to make it up to him."_

" _ **How**_ _can I make it up to him, Sam?!"_ he mentally shouted _. "We both know that his PDA was one-of-kind, even priceless."_

Sam bit her mental lip and replied _, "I don't know what to do about it, either, then. But I do know that he needs us very badly right now."_

" _I agree, but I really have no idea of what to say to him,"_ Danny sadly added.

She encouragingly said, _"Don't worry. You'll think of something."_

" _Yeah, okay, sure,"_ he half-agreed.

A brief silence fell over the two. They both felt relieved about talking it through, especially when it had been too long of a wait for at least Sam.

Danny began to regret all of his pompous behavior once again and all of the grief he had caused his friends. He really wanted to let Sam know again how sorry he was.

He opened his eyes and grabbed his girlfriend's hands. She, in turn, severed their telepathic connection, opened her eyes and turned toward him.

The look she saw in his eyes melted her heart. She knew that he was sincerely sorry for all of what he had done.

Just then, he slightly squeezed her hands, looked slightly down for a moment and softly said, "But before we go to talk to Tucker, will you let me apologize again?"

When he looked back up, Sam was smirking slightly and his heart leapt when she gently whispered, "I'd thought you would never ask."

Both of them instantly knew what that meant and they slowly drew nearer and finally kissed.

That kiss was as if it were the first for each of them since they hadn't been able to go on any date or have any privacy like this for weeks. Danny's tumultuous mental recovery had done more than make him an overconfident jerk —it had strained his and Sam's relationship.

Still, any anguish thoughts about that from either of them were lost at the moment as their hearts and minds blended together.

Finally, they parted and Sam quietly said, "Though I would like you to apologize to me more, we really should go check on Tucker. You need to also apologize to him, too."

One side of Danny's mouth hitched mischievously and he replied, "You're right, of course. But don't expect me to apologize to him in the same way. I think that would be an 'eww'."

"Don't be a dweeb!" she quipped back with her own slightly crooked smile.

Danny's face then tensed in determination and he replied, "So, let's go. And if you don't mind, Sam, I want to go see and apologize to him as Danny Fenton and not as that knucklehead 'level nine' ghost."

"Now, that sounds like the Danny I know and love," she replied with a smile just before they left Sam's house and headed toward where they hoped their friend would be.

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 **A/N: Well, I know the ending wasn't quite the cliff-hanger I love to write—which, of course you all know that it's really the MsHyde part of me that wants to do that to you** — **but I wanted the entire chapter to end with at least Sam and Danny making up because I hate to see their relationship being strained. But of course, we all know that working at a relationship is not all roses but can smell just as sweet when love helps us through it all!**

 **Once again, a Holy Good Friday and a Blessed Easter to you all. Until next time, dear readers.**


	7. Chapter 7 On Edge

**A/N: Hiya, dear readers! I hope you had a great week (really, I do!) And I hope you're eager for more of this story. Things are beginning to ramp up now so I hope you'll stay with me, especially when you haven't had to read about my OCs for a couple of chapters! XD Enjoy the show!**

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Entanglement—Chapter 7—On Edge

Night had finally wrestled most of the light from the day when Tucker finally reached his designation. He was completely out-of-breath and leaned over and rested his hands on his partially-flexed knees in an effort to slow his breathing down. But he couldn't. After all, he was still very upset. Finally, after a few more minutes, he was finally able to slow some his gulps down and he straightened himself back up. He reflexively glanced back in the direction from whence he had come and now hoped that his friends _wouldn't_ find him because he didn't want to see them right now.

Little did he know that his wish had been granted, for Danny and Sam hadn't tried to follow him at this point; and so, they had no idea where he had gone. And his emotions were so much on fire right now that his friends wouldn't be able to reach him telepathically, either. Still, he needed to talk to someone about his messed-up head and heart and so, he could only think of one person: his girlfriend, Valerie.

Unfortunately, Valerie was working, but he was here at the back of her work all the same. Then again, maybe that was good news, for that meant that his friends wouldn't think of looking here first because they also knew that Valerie had to work tonight.

He started to squirm. That didn't appease him at all. He didn't really want to wait for his girl to get off work. Still, he had no choice.

Before he knew it, he was pacing anxiously in the alley behind the Nasty Burger. The excruciatingly slow passage of time seemed to rake his trouble-filled heart. Even the small lamppost near the back door of the fast-food restaurant irritated him because the shadows it created played havoc on his movement and nerves.

Every once in a while, he stopped and looked at the back door of the fast-food place in vain. His already irrational thinking began to deepen, and he now wondered if Valerie was still in there, which only made him more anxious.

Each of the boy's footsteps not only pounded the asphalt, but also pounded at his head since they reminded him that he still had to wait without relief. The lamp-lit shadows stretched out more menacingly toward him as the sun fully set, further threatening to fully engulf him in the painful darkness that fully surrounded his heart.

Finally, after what seemed like hours but had only been about thirty minutes, the back door of Nasty Burger slowly opened and a form cloaked mostly in shadow emerged and headed toward a bicycle that was nearby.

In his agitated and illogical state, Tucker frantically yelled her name and practically pounced on his girlfriend from out of the shadows—only to find himself flat on his back and looking up at her frantic face before he knew it.

"Tucker!" she yelled as she helped him back up. She then said a bit nervously, "I'm sorry, but I didn't know it was you! You scared me; and I just, uhm, reacted, you know. I've gotten lots of practice with all of that ghost-fighting!"

But her boyfriend didn't laugh or even smile at her awkward stab at humor. But when she finally got a good look at his face, her eyes widen in worry. He was about to cry! She anxiously blurted out, "Ohmigosh! I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No!" he almost growled; and Valerie actually startled at his reply.

Suddenly, Tucker brushed past her and began to pace again as his emotions ramped back up.

Valerie frowned at his odd behavior, especially when she could see that his breathing had increased to the point that she could swear he might explode. She then gasped. Something awful must have happened!

She ran up to him, pulled him closer to the small lamppost, grabbed him firmly by both of his shoulders, looked him straight in the eyes and feverishly asked, "What's wrong, Tucker?"

Looking at her with distress covering his face, he loudly wailed, "My…My…PDA! My PDA! It-It-It's been totally destroyed and D-Danny did it!"

"What?" Valerie gasped in disbelief as she squeezed his shoulders a bit. "Why? How? I can't believe it! Danny wouldn't do something like that!"

"He would if he was showing off, which he was!" the boy countered, pulling away from her.

"Then, it was just a stupid accident, Tucker," Valerie countered back with a frown as she stepped back into his personal space. "I'm sure he's just as upset as you are about it. What did he say about it?"

"Nothin'," Tucker moaned.

"Nothing?" Valerie gasped. "I still can't believe that. What did you say back to him?"

"Nothin'," Tucker grumbled as he turned away from her. He really didn't want to explain everything right now.

"What? Didn't you talk to him?" she asked incredulously.

He firmly shook his head.

"How about Sam?"

Again, he shook his head.

"Then, how can you be sure he meant to do that?" his girlfriend pressed.

But Tucker only angrily challenged, "Don't give him an out, Valerie! You've been too busy all these weeks to see what a jerk he's been! And I've had it! And now look what he did!

"Wait. He's been a jerk? I can't believe that, either," She insisted before she admitted, "Yeah, I know I've been so busy for a while now that I've only been able to see Danny a few times, but he seemed okay. And you haven't told me that he's been a jerk, only about his being under some stress, like all of us; and, oh, about some cool new things he could do. You didn't make a big deal out of that, so, what gives?"

"I didn't realize until now that he's really been a real mega-jerk, that's what gives! And h-he didn't even look where his ectoplasmic ray went!" Tucker growled back and Valerie had to hitch in a gasp with his very angry tone.

The girl paused in worry. Though she had no doubt how upset her boyfriend was, she was still confused about all this stuff with Danny, especially when her boyfriend hadn't complained about his friend before and hadn't mentioned _how_ Danny had destroyed his PDA until now.

Hoping to calm him down and get more information, she dared to say, "Wait a minute. So, was he fighting a ghost when, uh, you know, _that_ , uh, thing happened?"

"Yeah, but so what? He didn't even care to see what he did!"

"Then, it was still an accident, Tucker," she said almost pleadingly because she could plainly see that he was still very upset. She stepped closer to him and scooped up one of his hands. "You know how crazy everything gets when we're fighting ghosts!"

But he violently pulled his hand away and started pacing again before he practically yelled, "I don't care if it was or wasn't an accident because I don't have my PDA anymore! It was the only thing that made me able to fight ghosts!"

"That's not true, Tucker!" she insisted, not trying to get any closer, but keeping her eye on him as he moved about in agitation. "You're great at fighting ghosts because you're smart! The PDA is only one of many weapons you have used. You can always get another one."

"You don't understand, Valerie," he insisted back, his voice cracking a bit with his distress. "I had _everything_ —all that tech I use to fight and research ghosts—on _that_ PDA!"

This time, Valerie skirted over to her boyfriend and began to walk with him the best she could without getting in his way. "Don't you have a back-up PDA?" she offered.

"No, that's just it," he helplessly replied, though he didn't stop pacing. "You know that I got that futuristic PDA from Skulker 9.9 in that ghost war I told you about that you couldn't know about because….oh, darn! Who cares?" He then increased in anxiety and the rate of his anguished speech, "But that PDA 's memory capacity was awesome. None of my other PDAs ever had that much storage and programs. And so, I transferred all of the stuff I had on my old PDAs…." He paused before he choked on his next words, "A-And now…it's gone! E-Everything's gone, don't you understand? I'm useless now! M-My PDA was the only thing that made me as special as Danny and even Sam! Danny's got his superpowers and Sam has those spirit powers! And I had my superpower-like PDA. But what do I have now? Nothing!"

"Wait, Tucker," Valerie seriously said just as she grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop. "Didn't you say that you, Danny and Sam have some kind of telepathic connection?"

He shrugged his shoulders as if that wasn't important.

"Isn't that kinda like a superpower? That should count for _something_."

"It's stupid," he grumbled.

Valerie bit her lower lip before she pressed, "So, are you saying that just because you don't have those powers _like Danny and Sam_ that you can't help them anymore?"

He nodded before dropping his head.

"For real, Tucker?" Valerie almost chided him. "I don't have any superpowers, either, but I help them fight ghosts the best that I can!"

He looked up at her with a frown and hotly countered, "But you have special gear for that! What special gear do I have now?"

Valerie poked him in the chest this time and firmly replied, "Hello? Your _**brain**_ **!** How many times did you help me improve my gear? Or help fix stuff up for Danny's folks? And don't you remember that you told me that you helped solve the Spectre mystery a few months ago? You did that without your PDA!"

But Tucker wouldn't—and really, _**hadn't**_ —been listening to her; and just before he started to pace again, he pointed out, "That doesn't count 'cause the Fentons had a cool computer that they let me use. And I fixed your stuff up with my PDA!"

"Only because there was a _**brain**_ behind it," she insisted back as he brushed past her to resume his pacing.

Valerie was now getting more and more worried about her boyfriend. She had never seen him this upset and upset for this long before! For one thing, he usually didn't get upset. But when he did, he would usually calm down in much, much less time than now. This was very serious. Still, she wanted to help him get out of his funk.

When he drew near enough, this time the girl blocked the path that he had virtually made with all that pacing he had been doing for the last several minutes.

"C'mon, honey," she gently and encouragingly said. "It's not the end of the world!"

"Yes, it is!" he practically yelled back.

Valerie's eyes widened in fear. She was really spooked by the wildness she saw in his eyes, and she couldn't blame it on the weak light surrounding them. He really had been too obsessive with that PDA, though she had to admit that it had been a very cool and unique one.

Still, she was determined to make him see reason and replied, "Look, honey. The PDA didn't make the man; _the man_ made the PDA and he can do that again with any other PDA."

Tucker vigorously shook his head in disagreement, but she continued all the more encouragingly, "Hey, I know you really haven't been in tune with all of the new tech stuff out there since you got that cool PDA, but there are some really mega-cool new upgraded PDAs now. Why don't we go and check them out?"

She looked at him pleadingly when he didn't respond right away. Now more desperate to have him calm down, she nervously offered, "I-I even have some of the programs that you can copy, like that invisibility program."

But she knew by his response that he really hadn't been listening all this while and was still upset when he almost demanded, "You have the invisibility program?"

She tried to make light of it by almost flippantly saying, "Duh! You programmed it into my suit, remember? I'm sure you'll be able to download it onto any new PDA you get."

Her suggestion actually fired up his brain cells into coming up with another idea than the one she had suggested. In fact, that idea was rapidly firming up in his mind and actually calmed him enough for him to say in a nearly normal tone of voice, "No, I want to download it onto one of my old PDAs."

Valerie was so relieved that he seemed to have calmed down that she readily agreed, "Oh. Okay, Tucker, and that's great! See? Things worked out!"

But, he hadn't calmed down. In fact, he continued as if he hadn't even acknowledged what she had said and was really talking to himself, "And once I do download it on my old PDA, can I use your jetboard and a couple of weapons?"

"S-Sure," she began in confusion at such an odd question. "But, why?"

Suddenly, he grabbed her by her shoulders, looked her straight in her eyes and firmly asked, "Do you trust me, Valerie?"

"You know that you don't have to ask that, honey," she answered.

" _ **Do you**_?" he almost growled back.

She could feel her eyes begin to water when she realized that he wasn't calming down like she had hoped. But she nevertheless assuredly said, "Yes, of course I do!"

He continued in a tone of voice that was still clearly on edge, "Then, trust me to take care of your board and your stuff, and I'll get it back to you as soon as I can. And when can I get them?"

Valerie didn't like how this was sounding, but she replied, "A-Anytime, Tucker…Please…"

But he rudely cut her off and firmly directed, "Then, I'll meet you at your house in thirty minutes, since I have to get some stuff from my house." He then sarcastically added, "I'd get there a lot _sooner_ , but I can't do that anymore because I don't have my cool PDA for making portals anymore."

Valerie swallowed a lump that had suddenly formed. She didn't like this one bit. He hadn't really been listening to her and now she was afraid that he might be planning something rash.

She dared to say, "I know that you're hurting about all of this, honey, but maybe…"

Cutting her off yet again, he growled back, "Are you going to help me or not?"

"Okay, Tucker. I'll drop it for now. But I hope you get your head back together when we meet back in thirty minutes," she replied in a huff before she unlocked and then hopped on her bicycle and rode off.

Tucker hadn't been in the least mollified or affected by what Valerie had said. His mind was filled with feeling useless without his futuristic PDA. He really had been so obsessive with it more than he or anyone knew that his mind was now irrationally focused on that one idea he had thought about a few minutes ago. He hurried home, grabbed his old PDA, brusquely brushed the dust off of it, stuffed some needed items in his backpack, and hurried to Valerie's home…

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"Hi, Tucker," Mr. Gray cheerfully began as he opened the door and let the boy in, "How—"

But Tucker rudely interrupted him, ''Hi, Mr. Gray. I just need to see Valerie for a sec, okay?"

"Of course, son. She's in her room."

The teen didn't even thank the man and hurried up the stairs.

Though it was clear to Mr. Gray that Tucker wasn't acting himself, he gave the boy a pass. After all, the teen usually went overboard with being polite in their encounters. And that was because that Tucker liked and respected Valerie's father.

Tucker impatiently rapped on Valerie's door.

And since she knew who that had to be, she answered, "C'mon in, Tucker."

He almost jerked the door open, came in and firmly shut the door without slamming it.

Valerie didn't like the way Tucker looked or was acting. She could tell that he was still very distraught about the loss of his PDA and was very serious about what he was going to do about it. Still, her boyfriend didn't give her the opportunity to comment.

"Thanks for your help, Valerie," he began, though the tone of his voice was still edgy.

But before Valerie could respond, he pushed on, "But, let's get down to it."

Valerie offered, "I've already hooked up my wrist control band to a connector for your PDA, honey."

But Tucker didn't say another word as he connected the two devices and began the download. He frowned in irritation when the old PDA began to heat up and spark a little from the rush and amount of data that Valerie's gizmo was feeding it. After more minutes than it would have taken his futuristic PDA to download any program, it was finished.

Tucker quickly checked the program and grunted a bit in dissatisfaction.

"It'll have to do," he muttered before he looked up at his girlfriend and said in half-demand, "Remember, you promised to let me use your jetboard."

"Tucker," she seriously said, still trying to reach the logical side of him.

But he cut her off yet again, "Look, Valerie. I appreciate what you might say. But I've got to do this."

"But do _what_ , Tucker?" she pleadingly asked as she suddenly grasped his arm.

For once since he had seen her behind the Nasty Burger, he actually noticed her. And her distressed and worried face suddenly tugged on his heartstrings. Still, he was driven with his plans. Even still, he said a bit more softly, "I can't tell you right now, okay? Please trust me on this."

"Okay, Tucker," she replied, though she was growing more upset. After all, they had built their relationship upon being honest and open with each other; and he was definitely being neither at the moment.

Still, she did trust him more than how he was acting right now. She finally gave him a smaller mechanism which controlled only her jetboard.

"Thanks, Valerie, for understanding," he then replied without emotion before he took the small control device from her. But then he gently grabbed that same hand, pulled her a little closer, gave her a very quick peck, and abruptly said, "Gotta go!"

Valerie blinked away her tears as he left the room. She was stunned. She, the Red Huntress, didn't know how to handle the situation. Of course, she had never seen her boyfriend this upset or irrational as this before. Why hadn't he talked to Danny and Sam about this? He was used to doing that before she came into the picture.

But then, she answered her own question, "Because he's thinking all crazy, that's why! But I'm not! And I've got to talk to Danny and Sam!"

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Tucker looked as if he was staring blankly at an advertisement billboard that showed an extreme close-up of a boy's opened mouth that was about to take a bite out of a Nasty burger. But the red-bereted boy was, in fact, staring at it in anticipation.

"C'mon, c'mon," he grumbled impatiently as time ticked.

"Yes!" he erupted when what he had been waiting for started to happen.

Tucker already knew all about portals that opened to the Ghost Zone. Most of the naturally occurring ones were stationary and opened at specific times. While others were non-stationary and were unpredictable as to when they would form. Still others, were unpredictable in time but not place.

But he and his friends had discovered that this portal which he was in front of was the most stable and predictable of them all.

Goading himself, Tucker remarked under his breath, "Even though I still hate going through some paper dude's mouth, here goes nothing!"

He jumped on Valerie's jetboard and plunged right into the ripe portal...

All during the travel to his designation, he mapped out more specifics about the plan he had. He knew it was extremely risky and could fail at any part of the plan. But at this point, he didn't care. If he didn't at least try, he couldn't live with the fact that he had settled for second best—or nothing at all.

When he finally saw his target looming in the near distance, Tucker felt his resolve falter a bit.

"You're depending on too many things to go your way, dude," he argued with himself.

He grunted in irritation at his sudden cold feet.

"Your plan _will_ work, so clear those cobwebs in your head," he commanded himself.

He pulled out his old PDA as he stepped on the accelerator of Valerie's jetboard. He waited until he was close enough to clearly see the entrance when he pushed the last command of the PDA.

His muscles tensed when the old PDA began to spark like it did at Valerie's house.

But then, he felt his shoulders relax when the invisibility program finally kicked in and cloaked him and the flying wing.

"First step, check," he mentally said before commanding the jetboard to throttle to full power. He knew he had limited time to do the next step.

Finally, when the jetboard suddenly moved awkwardly, he completely cut off all power and let its forward momentum continue in a silent glide to the entrance of his destination.

After the tip of the surfboard-like rocket slightly bumped the threshold of the large door in front of him, the teen just floated on it there and stared up at it for several seconds.

Now what?

He felt a tightness in his chest again when he knew he could no longer could make this easy like he had in the past with the program he once had that unlocked and opened doors. But at least he had rehearsed what his excuse would be for being here. He stepped off of the jetboard and onto the threshold. He hesitated yet again.

" _Well, you've come this far; and what you're goin' to say is good enough,"_ he mentally goaded himself once more. _"So, just try the door, dude!"_

He grabbed the door knob of the smaller door built into the much larger one and stifled his gasp of surprise when it was unlocked!

"O-O-k-k-a-a-y-y," he drew out in a mixture of confusion and amazement. "Step two, check."

He then hesitantly slinked in and quietly closed the door behind him.

Though he remained invisible, Tucker crept cautiously forward, heading to the familiar room. He kept his eyes peeled for anything and everything. He bit his lower lip and slowed his pace to a near crawl when he noticed that being invisible didn't hide sound, the sound of his footsteps, that is. And even though the old PDA wasn't as fancy as the one that Danny destroyed, Tucker still hoped that he had enough time to get into that room unseen.

Finally, after an excruciatingly long time, the teen was at the door of the room he was seeking. He slowly turned the knob; and scanning all around him and beyond, he stepped into the room.

" _Where is he?"_ he mused only to himself _. "And for that matter,_ _ **why**_ _isn't he here?"_

But then, his thoughts shifted gears and he added, _"Just check this step off, then, dude, 'cause you're lucky that you somehow timed it right when he was out for some reason."_

Nevertheless, Tucker still crept closer to the area of the room he had to go to first before his next step.

He found the stack of disc-like items and started sorting through them, scanning all around him every once in a while. Though he couldn't believe his luck, he still had to be on-guard.

Finally, he smirked a little when he found what he wanted and slipped it into a nearby receptacle.

An image surrounded by an aura made of light immediately popped up. Tucker could feel his nerves getting on edge as he thought, _"Are you sure about this, dude?"_

But then, he growled a bit under his breath in irritation with himself, _"It has gone more than according to plan so far. Let's just finish this, dude!"_

He had just one more thing to do…He turned around and scanned the room. It didn't take him any time to see what he was looking for.

But just as he was near enough to the neatly arranged display mounted on pegs to grasp what he wanted, Tucker hitched in a gasp and twisted violently toward the direction where he heard a loud noise not too far from entrance to the room!

However, in his anxiety and skittishness about being here in the first place, and hearing the noise grow louder, he had underestimated just how close he was to the mounted display. The next thing he knew, his backpack had become tangled in the pegs of the display, which, of course, were sticking out from the rest of the open board.

And in the boy's struggle to get his backpack loose, it popped open under the stress. Still, his entwined backpack violently shook the pegboard and all of the things that had been hanging on the pegs came crashing to the floor.

Now panicking, Tucker grabbed one of the items off of the floor and dove right into the portal he had activated only moments before.

He was totally unaware that several of those items he had knocked down had also fallen into his backpack….

Meanwhile, all the noise had stopped; and the door to this room slowly opened.

After one look around the room, Clockwork sighed, "And so, now it begins," before he turned to his Time Viewing Orb that Tucker had activated…

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 **A/N: Oh, man, I sure feel sorry for Tucker. He is acting very reckless and rashly. Of course, this is not like him, but he has shown a hint of this insecurity, recklessness and impulsivity in two episodes: King Tut and What You Want. But darn it, I want that sweet, funny Tucker back! So, we'll just have to see what happens! I'd love to hear all of your thoughts, so deposit them into the receptacle down below that does _not_ open up a portal! Until next time, dear readers!**


	8. Chapter 8 Unwitting Information

**A/N: Hiya, everybodee! I missed you last week! But life was way too busy for my beta and she couldn't, well, beta this chapter until this week. But, ta-da! Here it is for your viewing pleasure. I keep forgetting to do that 'IDNOADPC" thing at the beginning of my chapters but will do so now. Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Any Danny Phantom Characters. BUT: IDOTPAAOCII! That is, I Do Own This Plot And Any Original Character In It! With that in mind: ETS! Enjoy The Show!**

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Entanglement—Chapter 8—Unwitting Information

"W-What happened?" Skulker said in a slurred voice, wondering whether his eyes were open or still closed since all he was seeing was only darkness.

But then again, he didn't realize how dizzy he was from having been essentially attacked and then captured by the electrified ball of webbing that Ĉasista had sent to find him.

In fact, at this point, Skulker was so woozy that he didn't even know that he was still completely encased in that same cocoon, which was why it was so dark.

Suddenly, however, he caught a waft of a scent that seemed to now be impregnating the area around him. It smelled of evil and…death.

His special hunter's power now brushed away the fog bathing his mind and he noticed that his robotic arms seemed to be glued to something that was sticky, stretchy, and smelly all at once. He immediately pulled against his bindings, not knowing that the electricity that had been embedded in the webbing had long been spent out. A few moments later of struggling harder, he startled…

"No need to s-struggle, pet," a soft, but sinister, muffled voice cooed. "You are only a 'level-s-six' ghost and cannot possibly free yours-self."

Skulker momentarily ceased in his efforts to break free at the female voice's words. How could she possibly know his power level? This suit enhanced his powers far more than his old one; and so, he knew that anyone who could actually measure his rank in power would put it closer to a 'level seven'.

And there was something odder about the creature who had just addressed him. Her voice hissed like a snake's. But it couldn't be an animal speaking to him, could it? After all, animals in the Ghost Zone— or Real World, for that matter—didn't speak.

He then wondered if he even was in the Ghost Zone…

But before he could think about it any longer, he heard a sickening, wet, slurping sound just as he felt his cocoon quake with the sound and sudden movement. In fact, he grunted at all the jostling he was getting while the sound continued.

No sooner had all that movement started, however, when, starting at the top of his head and moving downward, the strong, thick, sticky rope holding him was quickly being peeled away from him until only his head and upper torso were now exposed. But his arms were still glued to his sides. He also could feel a thick thread pulling at his body from behind. And he could tell by his struggles that his cocoon seemed to be free-floating, since he didn't feel any hard surface countering his movements. But that thick thread behind him was also definitely limiting the sway of the pouch in which he was.

But that female voice then commented once again; and even though it was much clearer, Skulker couldn't be sure from whence it came because he couldn't see through the murkiness.

"Though she must say that she is amused that such an inferior ghost as yourself even has the wits to struggle so quickly and in spite of it all," the voice said, "The poison laden in her _ĉerko_ **[1]** penetrates quickly once it is charged electrically, and, therefore, easily strips its victims of their sensibilities for quite a while —which is what she wants."

Even as the Ghost Hunter's robotic eyes had instantly tried to penetrate his surroundings, he was surprised that they had yet to adjust. They should have almost immediately, since his new suit had the latest visual scanning technology. He now couldn't help but feel on edge. Obviously, then, that the creature — or whatever it was behind the voice — hadn't come close enough for him to see; but what concerned him more was the possibility that there was _more than one_ being that had captured him, since the first one had mentioned another 'she'.

But, he wasn't going to let those creatures intimidate him. He could still hear —and smell!

He sniffed the air. This place smelled _worse_ than the sticky container holding him fast. He could hear water dripping somewhere in the distance. And the ghostly air here was so thick with moisture that if he were human, he might find it hard to breathe; in fact, he could imagine that only a Real-World fish would find it more hospitable.

He wondered again, then, if he was even in the Ghost Zone, since it was usually much drier, though not parched.

He sniffed more deeply for a few more seconds before he concluded that he definitely was in the Ghost Zone…but, he paused almost immediately after that. How odd. This area smelled vaguely familiar; it had a scent that reminded him of a place he had only been to a couple of times before. But, he couldn't be _there_. And if so, why? No matter the answer, it did not bode well with him.

Hoping he could verify where he was, Skulker once again tried to peer through the murk. But he could see nothing. This place was so different than the one about which he was thinking. The humidity and the thickness of the air combined were very effective in cloaking the area to the point that his ghostly eyes were virtually useless in penetrating it.

But of course, what Skulker also didn't know was that he was in Ĉasista's lair and she preferred it to be as dark and dank as it was. It was the perfect conditions needed for her to tend to and nurture her…brood. She also liked the ominous surroundings, because she could easily sneak up on her prey…

Like now!

Skulker startled slightly at the sudden change. In a still-blurry blink of his eyes, a huge, hideous monstrous face was right in front of him before it suddenly pulled back! When moments before it was somehow undetectable, he could now see that there was a black, yet fairly luminous, aura around the huge creature that had bled the black atmosphere out of some of its bleak color so that a rather large area of it was now lightened to a dull, luminous gray. And the fact that the large glowing 'X' on her abdomen changed colors didn't brighten his situation, either.

The Ghost Hunter pulled on his bonds once again to hide the fact that he was a bit intimidated by the mere size of the spider-like creature currently looming over him. It was at least three feet taller at its shoulders than his robotic ghost suit, which in and of itself was taller than the average ghost. Usually, _he_ was the one intimidating his prey; and so, he didn't like this situation one bit.

Ĉasista looked down at Skulker and said with whatever a smile her ugly face could convey, "You are obstinate and resistant to some of her poison as well. Impressive for such an inferior creature. She will be satisfied, for that will make your substance richer."

"'She'? Who is this 'she'?" the captured Ghost Hunter demanded, this time looking the creature right in all of its eight eyes. "Why don't you _both_ have the courage to address me?"

Ĉasista circled him as a hungry wolf would its downed prey and entertained his demand, "Aww, such tenacity as well! There is only one 'sshe'…'SShe' is Ĉasista, who reigns over the _Sfero de Ĥaoso_ **[2]** _,_ and who is sspeaking to you."

' _Ĉasista_ '? ' _Sfero de Ĥaoso'?_ The words seemed to drill into Skulker's head. He could speak and understand Esperanto and knew what both meant. And now he understood why the stench in here smelled both foreign and familiar. His eyes widened slightly when he put two-and-two together. This must be the guardian, the huntress, in charge of the Realm of Chaos; and he must be in the heart of her lair!

But, of course, since Ĉasista was a master of observation and nuance, she noticed his reaction. And if her spider beak could do that, she would be grinning in a mixture of amusement and curiosity right now as she continued, "She can tell that you are cleverer than an ordinary level-six ghost, pet. Intriguing!"

Skulker cursed himself under his breath. He wasn't fully in control of his emotions or else he wouldn't have reacted to his discovery. But what he didn't know was that he was having difficulty with his emotions because the lingering effects of Ĉasista's poison that was still flowing in his ghostly veins—and because of something else he was not aware of yet.

Nevertheless, the male ghost countered, "Is that the reason why you brought me here? Because I'm so 'clever'? There are many more ghosts cleverer than I who could better entertain you. If that is all, then by what right did you have bringing me here?"

"Intriguing reply, pet," she merely replied. "For Ĉasista does enjoy ingenuity and boldness before she consumes it!"

Skulker felt a ghostly lump form in his throat but he said nothing.

All of Ĉasista's eyes glistened in slight glee since she knew full well of his latest reaction, not only because of her telepathic powers, but because of another of the many powers that she had. Still, she wanted to play with her pet, at least for a while.

And she would begin by hinting at her powers, "You see, Skulker…"

But she stopped when the male ghost slightly gasped at the sound of his name. How did she know his name?

This time, one of her forearms reached at and slightly caressed his face, and while ignoring on how it felt, she said with slight disappointment, "You are most complex, pet. But Ĉasista would have thought that a ghost crafty enough to invade—and even, re-invade—her domain would be in command of his innermost feelings. After all, it takes courage and ingenious stealth to enter an unknown realm such as this one, much less re-enter it, even when such a ghost is really very foolish to think he could match the wiles of Ĉasista! Why else would she discover your name?"

The insult was enough for Skulker to be able to smother any ember of emotion that might be flaring up.

Ĉasista caressed his face once again and purred, "That is how she would like to see you, Skulker. Ĉasista does not make such foolish mistakes as yours and reveal your emotions."

Suddenly, she violently pulled her forearm from his face, which actually scratched the surface of Skulker's robotic head. Her spider-face twisted hideously into an evil knot and she hissed demandingly, "Tell Ĉasista what technique you used to enter her domain! And why did you have the audacity to steal an _Angelus_ , only to have even more audacity to return him? For what purpose?"

Skulker scowled. So _that_ is how she must have learned his name: from the _Angelus_ he had captured—and returned—several weeks ago. He firmly replied, "As your name attests, you are a huntress; and so, you should know that hunters do not reveal their methods lest they compromise the hunt!"

She smiled and said a bit more softly, "Clever. But Ĉasista and you have more in common than you think." She added with pride, "And when the hunter is the prey, the hunt is over; and victory dictates the consequences."

Still in control over his emotions, Skulker wouldn't admit that she was right; but, he wouldn't reveal anything to her, even if he were her prey and at her mercy—if she had any.

Growing more irritated with his stubbornness, the spider-ghost interrupted his thoughts as she drew nearer and hotly added, "You will tell Ĉasista your purpose or else your end starts now!"

Skulker firmed up his lips and stared in defiance at her. He refused to tell her anything.

Now infuriated with his brashness, the spider pounced upon him with such speed that Skulker could only see a black blur before he was yelling as her fangs sunk into his neck.

Though the Ghost Hunter knew that the spider's bite wasn't directly hurting him since he was within his robotic shell that she was attacking, he was still in pain. After all, this suit wasn't simply made of metal. He had made a decision about his suit for an important reason: he needed full control over the suit or else his hunter skills would be useless. He had to be able to see, hear, smell, touch and even taste everything about the environment he needed to track and catch his prey.

So, in order to be a great hunter, Skulker had to impregnate his ghost aura in and around his robotic suit. And the melding was so complete, it was as if each part of the robot was identical to his real ghostly body counterparts. Therefore, it was as though he had two similar bodies blended into one—his small original ghostly body and his robotic suit. The upside was that his suit did have the distinct advantage of making his small real body not only protected, but stronger. But the downside was —unless he could fully plan for the need —that whenever his small body needed to escape the metallic one in an emergency, the separation was quite painful. That was true as well for the moment at hand, for Ĉasista's bite was truly hurting him right now, just not as effectively as it would be if his real ghostly skin was being penetrated.

Not that he could do anything about it anyways since his arms were still pinned to his sides.

Suddenly Ĉasista ceased in her attack. She could tell that her action was having no lasting effect on him. She pulled away from him and gasped in surprise, "What is this? What kind of ghost are you?"

Once again, Skulker said nothing.

But then, the ghost spider became enraged and she leapt on him once more and dug her fangs so deep that it rent clean through Skulker's robotic head before it fell off its robotic body.

Though momentarily given a jolt of pain from the unexpected separation, which cause a little dizziness, the real and very small Skulker gasped and tried to fly away, only to be immediately captured by a lasso made of Ĉasista's webbing.

Fortunately for Skulker, the spider didn't have time to electrify that webbed lasso as she had when she had first captured him.

Ĉasista reeled the small ghost in as deftly as she would a fish on a hook and brought him right up to and dangled him in the center of her eight eyes. She twirled him in a small circle and looked him up-and-down, narrowing several of her eyes in the process. Every once in a while, she pawed his ghostly skin and he pulled away as best as he could, especially when the slime surrounding her forearm stung him slightly. And then she suddenly grabbed and pulled at his aura, and then twisted and pulled off a large piece of it with a snap as if she were pulling off a thick twig off a tree.

Though Skulker wanted to yell at the pain, he gritted his teeth and swallowed down his hiss.

Suddenly, all of her eyes popped wider in realization and pleasure.

"You definitely are a resourceful hunter," she said with actual admiration lacing her voice. "Ĉasista was intrigued about you, but did not quite understand why until now. You are certainly not a typical ghost. You looked to be a _Malforta_ **[3]** ; but you are not…Hmmm…interesting."

Skulker had a hard time squelching his emotions this time because he couldn't fathom how she could possibly know what kind of ghost he was. After all, even _he_ wasn't certain about his race! So, in some ways, he wanted her to tell him more, because there was an underlying hunger that drove him to hunt: and that was to know his…history.

Nevertheless, he managed to remain silent.

Indeed, the spider huntress was becoming more intrigued with this ghost and she had to know…more.

Like lightning, she grasped Skulker's tiny real ghost body with her front forearms and sunk her fangs into his real abdomen this time.

Skulker thought that this was the end for him because her fangs nearly ran completely through his small body. He could feel his mind drifting as her poison seeped into his real body.

But then, she actually placed him back into his robotic suit. After that, she deftly snapped her webbing as if were a bullwhip before she snatched up and then placed his robot head back onto its body with a quick flick.

She then paused a few moments in thought before looking at the slightly skewed head. A few moments later, the eyes lit up, though their vision was hazy from the poison. She knew that she had telepathically commanded him to be in synergy with his robotic body again. And she also was more aware now that she knew a bit more about him.

"So, what kind of ghost are you?" she repeated to really only to herself. Though she knew her telepathic link to the male ghost was solidified now, he was barely comprehending what was going on.

She then answered herself and, indirectly, him. "Ĉasista will tell you. You are a level-eight ghost in a level-six body…. Why? _"_ But she already knew the answer and uttered, "Because you are a hunter. And as a hunter, you cannot reveal your true strength to your prey."

Indeed, though she could not allude it as such, Skulker was as clever as the Greeks were when hiding in their Trojan Horse to enter Troy in the lore of long ago.

She smiled in sudden admiration for this ghost with just as much fervor as she was for _Angelus-alvus_ , who was in some ways just as clever; and both of which were unique among their own races…

Maybe she would not kill this hunter…at least not right now because she knew that he had more information to give her, information that was vital to her more important plans. There still was an imbalance in the _kosmon_ **[4]** , an imbalance that she had designated herself to protect and correct. She knew that no other ghostly being could or would oppose her in this self-appointed task. After all, her history was as intricate as the webs she weaved.

Still, she decided that there was no need to dwell on her history anymore since there was more important things to do….like pursue her plans…

Once she was more focused, she looked at the still discombobulated Ghost Hunter and this time, threw her thoughts at him, " _Now, pet, you will tell Ĉasista of what your purpose had been coming here in the first place."_

Though Skulker had the thought to resist her and not answer, the effects of the poison were too strong and he found himself mentally replying, _"I came to capture one of the Angeli that I had detected."_

Though she knew this, of course, she was more interested in his last comment. _"How did you detect that they and Ĉasista dwelt here?"_

" _With the_ _'Plasonar Modulator'."_ **[5]**

Just as if she were a psychologist coaxing her patient through a session, Ĉasista gently asked, _"What is that?"_

The poisoned male unwittingly answered, _"It is a device which_ _emits a soundless echo that picks up ecto-energy levels and maps them out on a holographic screen."_

" _Oh, and where is such a device?"_

This time, Skulker was successful with holding his mental tongue.

" _ **You foolish, insignificant ghost!"**_ she thundered; and her mental barbs tore holes in his resistance.

But then, unexpectedly, she stopped at something she had not paid attention to until now. His aura…there were areas that were… _different._ She pulled closer and took in a whiff this time. She frowned; but refused to chide herself for not checking for it the first time she had this ghost within her power.

She then noticed that the deviant area she had detected extended below where his robotic skin met her webbing.

She slowly unraveled the spidery mesh and followed the unique aberration downward. Suddenly, she noticed a slight bulge underneath more of the webbing.

"What is _this_?" she mused out loud as she quickly pulled more of the netting away from only Skulker's left robotic hand and wrist.

She could clearly see a device attached to the ghost's wrist. But there was _more_ …

Once again, she twisted a large chuck of that different part of his aura off and immediately ingested it, ignoring the cyborg ghost when he yelled out in intense pain this time.

The large spider's eyes widen. The taste was more powerful than the remnants she had sampled at the site where this ghost had rent the outer shell of the _Sfero de Ĥaos._

She immediately said, "She senses another ghost…you have touched one lately."

Skulker's hazed mind shifted slightly to his memories at her words. The only ghost he had seen lately was the whelp. But even in the midst of their fight, they had not touched each other. But he had touched _Vlad_ not too long before his tussle with the pup!

"How can you do all of this?" Skulker managed to ask, shaking his head to try to clear it.

She answered in a tease, "A huntress never reveals her techniques. It would spoil the hunt!"

She chuckled under her breath when she could sense that it irritated the male. Still, she felt that since she now had such solid evidence needed to fulfill her other plans, that it would be of no consequence for her to reveal to this one about this ability that she had.

"Since you will never exist long enough to spread it, pet, she will oblige you," the spider spirit added before she shoved her face practically into his and continued, "Ĉasista has many great powers, which includes the ability to sense the feelings of ghosts and sense whom they have been in contact with through their auras."

"Most ghosts do not understand how important their auras are. They are like the temperature, touch and smell, and yes, even the memories, of themselves and other beings, such as the _fantomoj-al-esti_ **[6]**."

"'Ghosts-to-be'?" Skulker managed to interject.

But the female ghost didn't rebuke him; underneath, she admired him even when her plans also including destroying him for trespassing on her domain.

Still, she obliged him and said, "Ah, yes, Ĉasista also knows about the ghosts-to-be. They are the most helpless of beings, for they are truly trapped within their fragile shells, slaves to the climate which oppresses and batters them. But once they are finally free of their pathetic bodies through deterioration or injury, they become the beings they were meant to be: ghosts. But until that time, they are merely ghosts-to-be."

Skulker searched his murky mind and a sudden idea pushed forward. "Do you mean humans?"

She replied, "A meaningless word, but Ĉasista has been told by ghosts of the past that that is the name given to them; though she feels nothing but contempt for them corrupting the word of what they really are."

Skulker was suddenly aware that he was making progress in trying to rid his ghost body of the poison. His head was clearing and the words that she had just spoken finally registered. He didn't think there was any shame for humans to call themselves as such. That was what they preferred to be called. He could see no fault in that, even if he wasn't exactly an ally to any of them….except one…But _Vlad_ didn't count because he was a _half_ -ghost. Suddenly, Skulker wondered if he was more like Ĉasista than he thought, because he did have a...distaste for the humans. Still, that thought somehow felt wrong for a reason he didn't understand…

But the spider ghost interrupted his thoughts. "The ghosts-to-be do not realize that they already have the auras even before any transition into full-ghostdom. They cannot detect them, but the auras are there, masked beneath the smell, touch and temperature of their paltry shells. If they only knew how important their auras were even in such a state!"

"But, ah, ghosts? Their auras tell a lot about them, even about their souls; and for those who knows how to read them, nearly everything about them is revealed by their auras."

Ĉasista paused slightly before her face scrunched up into a grotesque smirk as she added, "You are a clever ghost. She is sure that you understand."

Though Skulker wasn't the least bit flattered by her stab at a compliment, he did understand what she meant. After all, his special power —his ability to smell and detect the emotions, the strength, and sometimes, even more abilities and attributes of ghosts — _was_ interwoven into each ghost's aura. But he never knew he could detect the same thing about humans because they had a hidden aura. It never occurred to him as to wonder why he could sense the same things about humans; he just simply thought he could, that's all.

But then, he wondered if _Ĉasista_ knew even more…

Suddenly, he didn't care! True, he really didn't know there was an explanation for his special power until now; but he wasn't awed in the least by the news this time because he was still her prisoner!

But then, he jolted slightly at another unexpected revelation: obviously, she must have the same special power as he and readily used it for…evil —just how _he_ used it most of the time. A pang clenched his core at the thought and he could not stay off the poison any longer. Yet again, his mind fell into murkiness.

Ĉasista, of course, could tell that something was suddenly bothering the male ghost because his aura had subtly changed. But the sense of _another_ ghost's aura did _not_. And she zeroed in on it.

She had not told the male ghost everything about a ghost's aura. It was more than just an indicator of its emotions and strength. For all intents and purposes, it was the ghost's DNA which could be imprinted on objects, other beings, and most importantly, on other ghosts' auras in the same way that human DNA was deposited and detectable. Only that, even the method on _how_ the ghost DNA was transferred was also hidden within it! She was the only _spirit_ who could masterfully analyze such DNA.

Still, she was not distracted by that side-thought as she continued to analyze the foreign ghost DNA imprinted in Skulker's aura.

She mused as she studied the fragmented pieces of the aura from the other ghost that she had detected, _"So, this ghost in Ĉasista's power is not only clever, but extra special. He is somehow connected to another, more significant ghost…and how the pieces of aura from the other ghost was deposited, it is obvious that they are….friends."_

Though that last word tasted sour in her mind, she threw it aside and grabbed the male ghost's wrist. She further examined the device tightly attached to that wrist. It, too, was impregnated with the ghost's and his friend's DNA.

Though a bit surprised to see that Skulker had succumbed to the poison again —since his race had the ability to build up almost instant immunity to poison — she grasped his limp arm. She began to pull on what was on it as she threw her thoughts at him, " _Your aura is most interesting, pet. Through it,_ _she now more intensely senses the imbalance she seeks. But even though the sample is powerful, there is still not enough to locate the source. So, pet, is the device borne on your wrist capable of finding your, ugh, friend?"_

Still trying to regain his senses and yet unable to resist her telepathic suggestion or the fact that she had removed the Plasonar Modulator completely off of him, he couldn't help but utter, _"Yes."_

 **Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

 **[1] Esperanto word meaning 'coffin'.**

 **[2]** **Esperanto for: Realm of Chaos, which was is the name of the lair of the** _ **Angeli**_ **in Chapter 47 of my story, "Gold Tested in Fire".**

 **[3]** **A** _ **Malforta**_ **is a Level One shapeless ghost and the lowest level of ghosts in the Ghost Zone. If you had read my story, "Gold Tested in Fire" you would know that! *winks***

 **[4] Esperanto for: 'cosmos'.**

 **[5] Device invented by pearl84 and yours truly in Chapter 32 of our story,** _ **Seeing is**_ **dis** _ **Believing.**_ **It emits a soundless echo that picks up ecto-energy levels and maps them out on a holographic screen.**

 **[6] Esperanto for: ghosts-to-be, which is what** **Ĉasista calls the** **humans.**

 **Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

 **A/N: Well, I hope that worth the wait for you. But please don't wait to share your thoughts about the chapter. I have provided that little box below just for the occasion! Until next time, dear readers!**


	9. Chapter 9 Desperate Search

**A/N: Howdy, everybodee! Don't have too much to say except for the disclaimer that I don't own any Danny Phantom characters but I do own this plot and original characters. Enjoy the show!**

Entanglement—Chapter 9—Desperate Search

Night was now heavily laden on Amity Park as Danny, with his arm around Sam's waist, flew within it in a desperate search for Tucker. They were growing more worried as time ticked by since they really had thought they would have found him by now. They had already checked his home and all of their usual hang-outs, not knowing all along that they had just missed each other when Tucker had gone back to his house shortly after talking to Valerie. And they knew that Tucker had obviously turned off his cell phone and couldn't be reached telepathically because both Sam and Danny were hitting a solid wall of angst that blocked their connection.

After not finding Tucker at any of the places he could be, the couple had agreed that it would then be a good idea to have Danny duplicate himself and use his clones to make the search faster. After Danny instructed them not to let Tucker see them and just to report back if they spotted him, they took off. However, even Danny's clones had a limit; and after searching a fairly wide area, the copies returned to Danny empty-handed.

Danny cringed in guilt at the thought that they should have found him by now especially when he knew his friend couldn't use his invisibility program anymore to avoid them as he had done in the past. All because he had destroyed his PDA! Of course, its being night didn't help, either. Anyone who wanted to disappear could easily slip into the countless of shadows embracing otherwise open areas during the day. True, now that he was in his ghost form, his ghostly eyes could easily penetrate the shadows. But unfortunately, Tucker was not among them so far.

After several more minutes of fruitlessness, Danny landed in a small park so that they could take a break and come up with another strategy.

"Where else would he go, Sam?" Danny worriedly asked, though it was more rhetorical than anything else because he knew that they had looked at all the places they guessed he would be. And so far, they hadn't just stumbled upon him while looking in places they thought he _wouldn't_ be.

"Well, he wouldn't go to Valerie's house because she's at…" Sam began, only to gasp, "He has to be at the Nasty Burger!"

"But that was the second place we had checked," Danny slightly protested.

"Valerie's working tonight, remember? We didn't see her when we got there because she must have been in the back and we were in a hurry. He must have gone to see her!" Sam surmised.

Danny still insisted, "But he wouldn't have been able to stay long to talk to her. You know how much of a jerk her boss is. And remember that Valerie has already warned Tucker—and us—not to talk to her at work."

"Yeah, he wouldn't get her in trouble like that," Sam agreed before she blurted out, "But, wait a minute! Wasn't she getting off early tonight because her boss was going out-of-town to some kind of restaurant convention? Pfft. As if, he's ever going to learn to make Nasty burgers at least _smell_ better!"

Danny smirked slightly as he replied, "Well, I still think they taste —and smell —just fine, Sam. You should try it sometime!"

She rolled her eyes slightly and said, "Just because I'm eating cheese and other stuff that I didn't in the past doesn't mean I'm ready to hyperjump to…ugh…meat!" She then frowned and said more soberly, "Okay, it was my fault this time that we got off track. We can't forget that this is serious, Danny!"

"You're right, Sam," Danny said, quickly sobering up. "We could have somehow missed each other and Tucker might have come by to ask Valerie to come see him as soon as she got off. Uhm, what time did she say she was getting off?"

Sam glanced at her cellphone and gasped, "She should be getting off just about now!"

"Well, then, let's hurry then!" Danny decided before he scooped his girlfriend up in his arms and whooshed upward.

But little did Danny and Sam know that their upset friend had actually already taken a shortcut back to his house after talking to Valerie at her work and Valerie had actually gotten of even earlier than she had expected; and was already at her home, had gotten things ready for Tucker, and was anxiously waiting for him to come.

But the young couple hadn't gotten nearly as close to the entrance to the Nasty Burger as they had when they had come here earlier when Danny landed behind a few trees and put Sam down.

"Hey, Sam," he commented, anticipating that she was going to ask why he had landed so far away. "Remember that if Tucker is there waiting for Valerie, then, I, uhm, I, ahem, I should be, uhm, just plain old 'me' meeting up with him instead of seeing him as the, uhm, stuck-up, careless super-dweeb who caused all of this mess, don't you think?"

And just as he started to transform into his human-side, Sam suddenly jumped into his arms. She ignored the cold that rushed through her as his rings passed over both of them and gave him a big kiss.

"I love you and had totally missed the 'real' you for far too long!" she quickly said as they parted. "Now, let's hurry!"

They both dashed off to the back of the Nasty Burger, hoping to see Tucker there waiting for Valerie. But when they didn't see anyone at all back there, they turned to go into the Nasty Burger with disappointed hearts. No Tucker inside the restaurant, either.

"What now, Sam?" Danny asked, disheartened. "We've searched and searched all the places Tucker could be and even places he _shouldn't be!_ And still no Tucker! I am really worried now. It's getting late. You know Tucker's always good with getting home by curfew unless there's a ghost attack. So, he should be at his home by now!"

"Well, then, maybe we should go check there again in case he's there now," Sam suggested hesitantly.

"What if he's not? What then? We've been searching for over an hour now!" Danny exclaimed.

Sam quickly reached for her boyfriend's hand and softly replied, "Danny, calm down. Look, let's sit down for a minute, okay?"

The boy's shoulder sagged. He didn't want to sit down. He wanted to keep looking for Tucker! He wanted to find his friend so he could try to tell him how sorry he was. He… he just wanted to find his friend!

As the two sat down in one of the booths, Sam said soberly, "Danny, I know you're worried, and so am I; but we can't just assume the worst. For all we know, Tucker just needed some time to himself to cool off…Hey, I have an idea. Why don't you use one of your copies again to check Tucker's house one more time? If he's not there, then… we'll just keep searching all night if we have to until we find him, okay?"

Danny sighed but then nodded.

"I'll be right back…" he answered as he stood up and went to the bathroom. He quickly went into a stall and morphed. He then created a clone which turned invisible and left towards Tucker's house. He hoped he was there.

When he returned to his girl, Sam was at the counter and talking to the girl ringing up the orders. It looked like she had ordered some drinks, but frowned slightly in confusion when he heard the tail-end of the girls' conversation:

"About an hour ago? Thanks!" Sam confirmed before she finally turned to look at him.

She smiled at him, handed him one of the drinks, and gestured for them to sit back down.

Once the two sat down, Sam spoke up, "Valerie left about an hour ago."

Danny eyes widened a bit as he realized, "Well, then, since Valerie wasn't here like we thought, then maybe Tucker is at her house!"

"My thoughts exactly," Sam agreed. "But let's wait for your copy to come back to make sure he's not just at his house. It will save us time."

Danny smiled and took a long drink of his soda. He felt a bit better now, because he was sure his friend had to be either at his house or Valerie's house.

Sam also took a drink of her beverage before she added with a smirk, "If we do have to go to Valerie's house, then let's get there _your_ way this time, okay? There's a real creepy alley behind Valerie's apartment where you can morph back into a human."

Though he appreciated her stab at trying to cheer him up, he suddenly felt very humble that she had thought ahead as she usually did—and more often for _his_ sake. He reached over and gently grasped one of her hands and gently squeezed it as he softly said, "You know, I never told you how much it means to me that you're always thinking of me." He then wryly yet sincerely added, "And thanks again for hitting me between the eyes to remember how lucky I am."

"Anytime, honey," she quipped back with a sly smirk before she slurped on her drink some more.

This time, Danny half-smiled before he busied himself with his drink. But several minutes later, he felt the return of his clone. His body only lightly glowed green for a split second—not enough time for someone to notice anything odd. But as his copy's thoughts merged with his own, he frowned deeply.

"He's not at his house. I was even invisible when I went into his room. There's no one there," Danny muttered with renewed anxiety.

Not wanting for her boyfriend to panic again, Sam smiled encouragingly and said, "Then, he has to be at Valerie's, that's all. So, let's go."

Danny nodded and finished the last of his drink before standing up. They tossed out their cups and headed out of the Nasty Burger. In the next moment, the couple was flying to their friend's girlfriend's house.

The young couple was at that alley in no time. Danny had made sure that he had landed in the darkest part of the alley before he commanded his transformation rings forward, just in case anyone was casually passing by.

The two teens walked out of the alley and to the front of the apartment complex and headed straight to Valerie's apartment. Both of them hoped that it wasn't too late to come. They also had realized that there was a possibility that Valerie might have agreed to meet with Tucker at _his_ home even when they had already checked there earlier.

Nevertheless, Danny knocked on the door to Valerie's apartment and waited.

Mr. Gray answered the door and he frowned when he noticed how anxious Danny looked, while his girlfriend had her usual poker-face on.

"Uhm, hello, Mr. Gray," Danny nervously said. "Sorry that it's so late, but is Tucker here by any chance? We really need to talk to him."

"Uh, yes, he was here about an hour ago and even then, he didn't stay long."

Danny's face fell into worry; but then, Mr. Gray offered, "Perhaps Valerie can tell you where he went. She's upstairs. Come in and I'll go get her."

"Thank you, Mr. Gray," Danny sincerely said as he led Sam into the small foyer and Mr. Gray closed the door behind them.

"I won't be but a minute," he said before he pointed to a small love seat nearby and added, "Why don't you make yourselves at home, okay?"

"Thank you, sir," Danny replied.

The teen couple walked over to the small love seat. They sat down but didn't relax as they waited.

In the meantime, Valerie's father was about to knock on her door when he could hear a lot of strange noises coming from behind it.

He frowned in concern and quickly asked through the door, "Valerie? What's all that noise? Are you alright?"

" _Yeah, Daddy,"_ came her reply. _"I'm just getting some stuff together 'cause I was hoping to run a very quick errand. I was going to ask you about it when I was through here."_

"Oh, okay, honey. Well, I was about to tell you that Danny and Sam are here; but maybe I need to tell them you have to—"

He startled a bit when Valerie's door flew open and she all but shouted, "Danny and Sam are _here_? That was my errand!"

She gave her father a quick peck on his cheek and said, "Thanks, Daddy! I love you!"

The girl then practically flew down the stairs.

A moment later, Mr. Gray scratched the back of his head in confusion, shrugged and helplessly sighed, "Teens! Was I ever like that?" He then shook his head and uttered, "Naw!"

Meanwhile, Danny and Sam scooted to the edge of their seats when they heard someone racing down the stairs. They were more anxious than they usually would be with their friend because they couldn't be sure how much she knew about everything.

But the young couple, of course, really couldn't know that Valerie only knew what had just happened late today between the three best friends. She really couldn't have known how much of a jerk Danny had been for the past few weeks since Tucker had never mentioned it to her mainly because he hadn't been bothered by Danny's behavior until a few hours ago. Not only that, but because of her very busy schedule, she had hardly seen Tucker, much less Danny or Sam for the past few months. Tucker had told her that Danny had had a rough time getting over his last encounter with Vlad, but she hadn't seen him enough to know how badly it had all been.

Valerie practically leapt into the small room where Danny and Sam were and excitedly said, "Danny! Sam! I'm so glad you're here because I was about to go look for you. Something awful's happened!"

"You must have seen Tucker, then!" Sam surmised with a worried look on her face.

"Yeah, and I can't believe what he told me! You didn't do that on purpose, did you, Danny?"

Danny knew by her tone what the 'that' she was referring to—and that was that he had destroyed his best friend's PDA. He bit his lower lip in shame, but Sam replied, "We'll tell you everything. But do you know where Tucker is?"

"That's why I was going to see you," Valerie said in exasperation, "I _don't_ know where he is! He said he had to do something but he wouldn't tell me what that was! And, honestly, he sounded so friggin' crazy from the moment he got here until he left that I'm totally worried what he'll do!"

"We're worried, too!" the couple said in unison before they quickly filled the girl in about their fight with Skulker and how Tucker's PDA was destroyed in the process by Danny's ectoplasmic energy.

Though Danny, Sam and Tucker knew that Danny's ectoplasmic energy had destroyed Tucker's PDA, only Danny knew that it had been deflected off of Skulker's shield. But at the time, Danny hadn't paid attention to—or worse, hadn't really cared about—where it had gone.

"So, uhm," Valerie said hesitantly and with a hint of sadness in her voice, "Tucker was right. It _was_ your fault that his PDA got destroyed, huh, Danny?"

Once again, Danny bit his lower lip in shame before he apologetically replied, "Yeah, I screwed up and Tucker got the short end. And then he took off. Uhm, I didn't go after him right then because, uh, well, because I was being an even bigger jerk for a bit longer until I finally snapped out of my jerky self."

He then looked pleadingly at Valerie and continued, "I'm really sorry about what happened, Valerie. And we've been looking for him for a couple of hours already. We really need to get to him so I can somehow apologize, if he'll let me, that is."

The boy's shoulders suddenly slumped in remorse and defeat.

Valerie walked over to her friend and gently placed her hand on his shoulder in sympathy as she said, "That's why I'm so worried. I'm not sure if you're going to find him at this point."

"Why not?" Sam asked in worry.

Valerie briefly chewed on her lower lip with concern before she admitted, "Because he was able to download that invisibility program from the one that I still had programmed in my suit to one of his old PDAs. And then, I let him take my jetboard and some weapons. But I couldn't get him to tell me where he was going! Like I said, he was acting so freakin' crazy the whole time!"

"Oh, man, this is bad!" Danny fretted. "How could I have been such a jerk? I'm so sorry about this, Valerie!"

The time, Valerie patted his shoulder in empathy and replied, "Hey, if I know you, Danny, you've been beating yourself up pretty good already and don't need any more from me."

Danny's half-smile was a mixture of regret and appreciation before he glanced at Sam briefly and then back to Valerie as he said, "Thanks, Valerie. I really don't deserve such great friends like you—all of you, I mean. That's why I gotta find Tucker. Is there anything he said that might give you a hint on where he might be going?"

The dark-skinned girl furrowed her brow in concentration as her mind shifted through her last conversation with her boyfriend.

She then shook her head in failure as she gingerly offered, "All he said was that he had to do whatever he had to do." She paused a moment and couldn't help but feel her eyes water when she added, "He said he was nothing without his PDA, especially when he couldn't replace it. He said that his PDA from the future was the only thing that made him special, that it was sorta like a superpower that you and Sam have. And that he didn't think he could help you ghost-hunt anymore because he didn't have his futuristic PDA….Oh, I wish he would've listened to me and hadn't gone to who-knows-where after I told him he was totally wrong about all that!"

The trio of friends grew quiet, completely lost in guessing on what their friend might do or where he could possibly have gone.

"… _from the future,"_ echoed in Sam's mind before she suddenly gasped, "Ohmigosh! I think I might know where Tucker might have gone!"

Danny and Valerie's eyes were glued on her when she continued, "It would be a very crazy thing to do, but the way he acted with us before he took off and what Valerie said how he was with her, it might not be such a crazy possibility."

"What?" both Valerie and Danny prodded in unison, anxious to know her idea.

Sam swallowed a lump down and choked out, "He might be trying to go get another PDA from Skultech 9.9, like he did the first time!"

Though Valerie knew the short story on how Tucker had gotten his futuristic PDA, she had no idea what Sam was alluding to because she wasn't ever told the _whole_ story about it in the first place. She helplessly listened as her friends continued.

But Danny objected, "But Skultech's in the future and in another _dimension_ , Sam!"

"I know, I know!" she hurriedly replied, "But it would be possible to find Skultech 9.9 _if_ …."

"No, way, Sam!" Danny interjected. "He'd hafta go to Clockwork's and there's no way Clockwork would let him do that!"

"Yeah, not _directly_!" his girlfriend insisted. "But remember that Valerie said that Tucker had that invisibility program, so it might be possible to sneak past Clockwork and…"

"Sam," Danny interrupted, and his tone was very serious, "That's a whole lot of very wild guessing there! I agree that Tucker might be able to do that if— _and only if_ —Clockwork wasn't in his lair when he's always there and…"

It was Sam's turn to interrupt, "Are you sure he's there all of the time?"

"Of course, he is," Danny insisted with a frown.

"How do you know he's always there?" she ventured to ask.

Just as Danny reached up and rubbed the back of his head he nervously admitted, "Well…I don't…exactly."

Sam smirked slightly and replied, "That's right, because you've told us before that Clockwork has to run errands all the time to make sure that there are no holes in the timeline which can be caused by anomalies and stuff like that. So, it would be possible for Tucker to get into Clockwork's castle when Clockwork was away on one of those errands. And it would be possible for Tucker to sneak in and use one of Clockwork's Time Discs to go to future and—!"

Danny shook his head and slightly interrupted, "I still think that that's too wild of an idea, Sam."

"Do you have any other ideas?" she challenged.

"Uh, no," he admitted before adding with a bit of fret, "But Tucker has to know that it's not a good idea to go into that future."

"The Tucker we know would. But if he was acting as crazy like we and Valerie saw, he might. Then why else would Tucker have gotten so loaded up with stuff before he left? If he was just trying to blow off steam, he wouldn't have gotten all that stuff from Valerie."

"Uh, good point," Danny conceded.

"Wait a minute," Valerie suddenly interjected. Though she wanted to know about who this 'Clockwork' was, she was more worried about what Sam had just said. "Why isn't it a good idea for Tucker to go to that future time?"

Danny and Sam briefly glanced at each other before Sam finally said, "I don't think you're going to like what we're going to tell you, but—"

"I _already_ don't like what you've been telling me!" the dark-skinned girl impatiently replied, "If we're going to find Tucker, I've got to know everything!"

"Didn't Tucker ever tell you how he got his PDA?" Sam began.

"Uh, yeah, sure," Valerie answered, "He said he got it after some fight with some future ghost named Skultech something or another, who had somehow gotten into the Real World a while back. He said that ghost was a robot that had contained both Skulker and Technus….And though I think of that as an 'mega-ewww', Tucker told me that that ghost hasn't come back here 'cause that timeline was somehow erased. When I asked him about that, Tucker had said it was pointless to go into details since it had never happened. And so, I just brushed it off as unimportant…" The dark-skinned girl briefly paused before she added her afterthought, "And Tucker had said that some creepy, mega-bad ghost had sent that other ghost during that time; and that was all. Is there something else I should know?"

Danny and Sam paused as Valerie looked at them helplessly.

Danny, of course, didn't want to explain 'Evil Dan', especially when he had already caused enough trouble.

Sam, however, squirmed a bit and she grumbled privately to herself when her empathic powers crept up on her again when she hadn't invited them. She could tell that Valerie was unhappy when she was now thinking that Tucker might have been lying to her. Sam pushed those feelings aside. Now pleased that she finally could do that much quicker than she had in the recent past, she could now focus on what to say right now. But in reality, she hesitated because she really didn't want to explain 'Evil Dan' to Tucker's girlfriend right now, just like Danny—and obviously, even Tucker—hadn't wanted to, either. She understood the reasons, of course, but now she thought it might be important to tell. And, if she was going to tell, _s_ he had to come up with a quick explanation that wouldn't make Danny feel any worse.

No matter what, she knew that she—or Danny—needed to say _something_ soon _._

Sam had been right about Valerie. The dark-skinned girl was privately upset about this news. She wondered why Tucker hadn't told her all about that future ghost like maybe he should have, now that Danny and Sam thought it was important. After all, Tucker had told her about everything else, like why he started to date her and a lot of other stuff that she hadn't known about ghosts and even about Danny. But she had thought he had been so very honest with her—like they had promised to each other to do about a year ago—that she hadn't questioned his not telling her all of the details of getting his future PDA…The dark-skinned girl wasn't at all happy about that new possibility. Still, she didn't know what to think, only to have her thoughts interrupted by the other girl in the room.

Sam finally said, "Well, I can see why Tucker hadn't filled you in yet because it's a very long and complicated thing that we just don't have time to explain right now. But I promise we will do that as soon as we find Tucker."

The dark-skinned girl could easily tell that Sam and even Danny were reluctant to spill it all out. Still, she also somehow knew that they couldn't go there, either, even when she still wasn't satisfied about their decision.

She then added with a bit of bitterness and edginess in her voice, "Yeah, yeah, sure. We're all just going to hafta make sure to get up to speed someday, like everyone's always saying and not really meaning it. After all, a team isn't a team if it keeps secrets from each other."

"Look, Valerie," Danny seriously and sincerely said, "We're not trying to keep it a secret on purpose….It's just that there's some, uh, bad stuff that might get you upset…"

" _Just like it_ _ **still**_ _upsets me,"_ he added only to himself.

"Most _anything_ about ghosts is **bad stuff**! And I'm already **upset**!" Valerie pointed out with some exasperation. "What makes this any different?"

Once again, Sam and Danny paused and glanced at each other. They could tell in that brief connection what they needed to do because if they didn't tell the girl and then they all were going to need to go into the future, and something should go wrong, Valerie needed to know what to expect.

But then, Danny sighed and seriously replied, "Alright. I'll give you the _Cliffs Notes_ ' version, but only because we honestly don't have the time."

Valerie's eyes were glued to the couple.

The blue-eyed teen drew in a long breath before he continued, "Tucker and us got into a fight with a ghost called Skultech 9.9 and a few other ghosts that were sent from the future trying to, uh, to wipe me out…They were sent by an evil ghost who….uhm, was…uhm…"

Suddenly, Sam piped in, "We all have a very hard time saying what happened, Valerie, because that evil ghost is an evil older version of Danny who exists in a parallel time dimension. And that terrible ghost, uh, did lots and lots of bad things there, including….killing people. We all are upset about knowing that, especially Danny; but the important thing is that it is **not** going to **ever** happen in our timeline….Maybe Tucker didn't get into it with you because he didn't like thinking about his best friend like that. All of us, in fact, don't like to think about it, either; and we wanted to keep you from getting upset and even worried that it would happen here in our timeline because it just **won't**!"

Valerie was stunned into silence now, mostly because when Sam said that last part, the Goth girl seemed to look right through her, as if somehow, she might even be touching her soul! Though that kind of freaked her out, she felt her angst and suspicion slough off of her. Somehow, she suddenly understood why they had kept that secret—though in a way that was a _big_ secret. She suddenly thought about that _other big_ secret she had found out about last year: Danny's secret identity.

Tucker's girlfriend wrinkled her forehead in shame about that past memory that had unexpectedly pushed forward. She had overreacted to that discovery. She had been livid, felt betrayed and had all other kinds of bad thoughts at the time. But she had never shared that with anyone but Tucker because she had been ashamed. Now, she understood her friends' reluctance to purposely not tell her anything that might upset her or make her have any negative feelings about Danny at least, especially when they were reluctant to tell her about some alterative ego of his that had turned evil. After all, anyone was capable of embracing their dark side if they weren't willing and committed in their struggle to reject it.

She paused as another thought grasped her mind, which solidified her feelings about this information Danny and Sam—and even Tucker— had withheld from her. She had been more than willing to embrace _her_ dark side when she was the vengeful Red Huntress out for destroying all ghosts…

The trio of friends remained quiet for far longer than Sam and Danny wanted. The young couple was growing more nervous at the situation; and each of them privately regretted telling her that stuff about Evil Dan. But really, at this point, they had had no choice because they were trying to figure out where Tucker may have gone and Sam's initial guess was as good as any. Still, the longer the air was thickening with silence, the tenser the couple became.

Finally, Valerie reacted, "Hey, so… I won't lie that this is a lot to take in. But I now get why you've kept a few things from me—and though I hope that you can trust me about those things more from now on—none of it's as important as finding Tucker right now... He looked and acted so crazy when I last saw him that Sam's idea is not such a far-out thing now. I think it is possible that he might be trying to get another PDA from the future."

Both Danny and Sam could the feel the air clear up better than any wind could blow away smoke; and they both unconsciously relaxed. And somehow, they knew that they could trust Valerie about these kinds of things in the future.

Danny finally said with a crooked smile, "Thanks, Valerie, for understanding. And I promise we'll make sure you get the inside buzz from now on. After all, a team can't be a team unless it can trust each other."

Valerie also smiled a bit before she said, "Yeah. So now, what's the plan?"

Sam replied, "Okay, though it's a wild, but good, guess as anything we can come up with so far, there's only one thing for us to do."

"What's that?" Valerie asked.

"Go see Clockwork!" Sam and Danny said in unison.

"Oh, no! Who—or what—is that?" Valerie moaned; but then, when she saw the couple's faces drop, she readily added, "Scratch that, since we really don't have the time."

Sam bit her lower lip and said, "You're right. But let me give you the short version: Clockwork is the Spirit of Time. He can control portals that go right into any place during any time—past, present or future. We'll need his help to see if Tucker somehow was able to activate a portal into the future so that he can find Skultech 9.9. If not, then my guess was a wild one after all, but at least we'll know."

Valerie blinked her eyes in awe. These two knew so much! Still, she also knew she couldn't ask all the questions she was dying to ask at the moment.

Sam added in determination, "So, let's not waste any more time. We have to get going."

Once again, the trio paused; and Danny and Sam looked at their friend in anticipation when she didn't react.

Valerie shifted her eyes between the two eager faces and could tell they wanted her to say something. Then, it struck her and she blurted out, "Wait! I can't go with you!"

"Why not?" Danny asked with concern.

"Remember that Tucker has the Red Huntress's jetboard?" she answered.

"Sam has a jetpack and we can also get another one from my folks," Danny offered before he added, "But initially, I'm going to have to carry both of you and use my supersonic speed because it's going to be a very long trip and the jetpacks don't carry enough fuel for that trip."

"Can't you just use your Wulf claws to open a portal?" Valerie pointed out.

"Yeah, I was actually planning to use them," he began, "But I can only reach so far into the Ghost Zone with that ability and Clockwork's castle is way beyond how far I can reach."

"Then, that's another good reason for me not to go since I'll just weigh you down. Besides, you might need a free hand to fight ghosts while you're on your way and having only one passenger will give you that free hand," Valerie concluded.

At this point, Valerie didn't know that Sam would be Danny's 'second hand' in that instance since she could use her spirit telekinetic power to help when she could.

"But, you can still help any fighting we might have to do as the Red Huntress," Sam insisted, resisting the urge to spill it all out about her powers because time was growing.

"No, Sam," Valerie insisted back. "We all agreed that going to see, uh, Clockwork was a wild guess. What if Tucker went somewhere else and while we were gone came back to return my jetboard like he said he would as soon as he could? I want to be here looking for him where he's not….er, you know what I mean!"

"You know, that's a great point, Valerie," Danny agreed. "So, what if we give you a set of Fenton Phones so we can let each other know what's happening?"

Valerie smiled a little.

But then, Danny continued, "But just so you know, the Fenton Phones won't be able to work in the Realm Beyond Time, which is where Clockwork's castle is. Tech stuff starts to break down and then stops working soon after you get into that part of the Ghost Zone. So, in case we lose contact, you'll know why."

Danny eyes widened a bit at his next thought and he added with some trepidation in his voice, "Now, I really hope that we're totally wrong that Tucker went to Clockwork's castle; and that's because your jetboard will also stop working in there. I hope that Tucker thought about that because I'd hate to think of him being stranded there!"

The two girls frowned in even more worry when they heard that.

Valerie swallowed a slight lump down. She sure hoped more than ever that Tucker didn't go there. And she even had to resist the urge to just go and help. After all, Danny and Sam didn't hesitate to go into a part of the Ghost Zone where they would also be isolated from any help. But she also knew that it was important for her to stay.

Finally, the dark-skinned girl uttered with obvious concern, "Me, either. So, hurry up and get those Fenton Phones and get going. And let me know what's going on for as long as you can, okay?"

"Okay!" both Sam and Danny said in unison.

Then looking at Sam, Danny hurriedly said, "I'll be right back with a jetpack and the phones!"

He then quickly transformed into his ghost form, produced his Wulf claws, rent a hole in the air, and jumped in.

Before Sam and Valerie could comment much on anything else, another hole sudden burst open and Danny was back with the phones and jetpack.

"Man, how can you do that so fast?" Valerie blurted out in awe.

"Because I'm a level—" Danny began, only to interrupt himself and blush in irritation with himself. He was through with that kind of thinking! He then corrected himself, "I'm just so worried about Tucker that I went as fast as I could."

He then glanced over to his girlfriend, who was slightly smirking. He half-smiled back before he gave Valerie the Fenton Phones.

After checking Danny, Sam and Valerie's connection with each other and after Sam had strapped on her jetpack, Danny produced his Wulf claws and tore open a portal. The trio exchanged silent nods with each other before Danny wrapped his arm firmly around his girlfriend's waist and plunged both of them into the portal just as he activated his supersonic speed right away.

As Valerie's hair swooshed behind her a moment in the wake of the activation of Danny's supersonic speed just as she watched the portal closed, she wiped a tear away and prayed, "Please let them find my poor, sweet guy."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As Danny and Sam soared through the Ghost Zone and toward the Realm Beyond Time, they discussed their plans.

Finally, Sam knew they were near the barrier of the Realm Beyond Time because her boyfriend had slowed his flying down to almost a crawl.

Both of them unconsciously held their breath searching for the small, hard-to-detect opening.

Danny knew they were practically on top of it when he briefly felt his sense of direction and time dampen.

He slowed to a stop when he was sure he had reached the opening and turned to his girlfriend.

"We're at the entrance of the Realm Beyond Time, Sam. And, of course, I hope your hunch is right," he began, "But what if Tucker didn't go to Clockwork's? It would have taken him a while to get here and I would have hoped that we would have caught up with him before he got here."

Sam bit her lower lip before she gingerly offered, "I don't know. But he did get a big head-start 'cause he's been gone for at least a couple of hours before we started for the Ghost Zone. And he was using Valerie's hoverboard and she and Tucker are always trying to improve it. In fact, didn't Tucker say that it can even reach supersonic speed in the Ghost Zone?"

"Yeah, but not as fast as I can go in the Ghost Zone," Danny replied; but he hadn't said it with pride like he had before he had come to his senses. "Besides, remember that once Tucker gets into the Realm Beyond Time, Valerie's jetboard will start slowly losing power and then all of it in the end.

Sam nodded; but then suggested, "Maybe it's possible that he took some kind of shortcut?"

"That we didn't know about?" Danny mildly protested before he corrected himself, "Scratch that. It might be possible because I've been everywhere but here for too long of a time. But either way, I hope we find him."

Sam frowned and agreed, "You know I do, too. And even if he didn't go to Clockwork's, maybe we can get some advice from Clockwork —that is, if we can trick it out of him!"

Danny half-smiled because he was really worried about their friend. He then added, "Well, the good news is that your jetpack doesn't have too much tech in it, so it might work longer if we need it…but let's just hope we don't need it!"

"Right!" Sam agreed. "Now, let's get going, okay?"

Danny gripped her waist a bit firmer and plunged into the small opening to the Realm Beyond Time.

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 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter and will let your thought fall right into that box below. Until next time, everybodee!**


	10. Chapter 10 Unexpected Revelations

**A/N: Hello everybodee! Can you believe it's already JUNE?! Man, that means the year is HALF-over—er, or for those of us who are eternal optimists, we STILL have a half-a-year left of fun! Heh-heh! No matter how you look at it, it is beach weather here in the South of the USA! I would like to dedicate this chapter to my brother, whose b'day is today! Hope you enjoy the show!**

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Entanglement—Chapter 10— Unexpected Revelations

Ĉasista's eyes carefully studied the small device she had taken from the Ghost Hunter. She turned the Plasonar Modulator this way and that way, while sniffing or pawing at it on occasion. By now, all of her senses were clogged with all of the ghostly DNA that impregnated the device; and that was all that she cared about for the moment.

Every once in a while, she pushed or pulled at the little device; but it did nothing in spite of her coaxing. Though she was becoming frustrated that it was not as easy to use as the Skulker had implied, she did not chide herself. After all, she could still locate the Skulker's…ghost friend using her own powers. But then again, she wanted to be extremely accurate in her mode of approach or else a ghost as powerful as that one could stand a…slight chance at… escaping.

No, she would not even cater to the thought of that insignificant possibility! And she would not fail in her objective. So, stealth and accuracy were the keys for her to capture that strong ghost. And she held the key to both— _if_ her robotic prey was right.

Suddenly, the slime in her mouth turned sour. Maybe that Skulker was lying! But then she paused. No. No ghost could lie to her when she had telepathic control over them. So, all she needed to do was to figure out how to use this silly device. After all, she had to admit to herself that if that powerful ghost was indeed still in the _Fantomo-al-Esti_ Realm—that is, that which the human creatures called the 'Real World'—then her odds at failure would increase. And that was because the make-up of that distasteful realm was a very effective barrier to her powers in that it was able to distort her perception. True, she or her ĉerko could directly enter it; but the probability of entering it accurately in order to catch her prey off-guard was greatly diminished. Only when she had enough DNA from a ghost could her chance of reaching her victim with some surprise and precision, like she had in capturing the Ghost Hunter, be assured. Otherwise, she could have failed even in doing that when she had captured the robot ghost. But then again, the Skulker was not as powerful as the one she currently had her sights on; and so, her powers' being weaker had had no real significance in Skulker's capture.

Her thoughts suddenly shifted. Maybe she would not need this little device…If only she could lure that powerful ghost she wanted into the Ghost Zone, then his ghost DNA would be as traceable to her as the smell of bread baking in a ghost-to-be's home would be because she had enough of it.

She paused a moment longer before what could be called her face arched up in a hideous grin as she glanced down at the device in her forelegs. No more need for discussion about how to find him. At this point, it didn't matter that her current prey was in that other realm now that she had something that could track his whereabouts—thanks to the cyborg ghost!

She snickered to herself. It was the first time that one of her prey had inadvertently betrayed another ghost associated with it—especially such a significant one.

She tried a few more buttons on the Plasonar Modulator and her face skewed in disgruntlement when it stayed inert.

Still, she continued to fiddle with it as her thoughts focused back on the prey still filling her mind.

This particular prize was most intriguing to her because she could tell from his DNA that he wasn't purely _ghostly_. How could that be, she wondered, when she could not deny how powerful a ghost he was?…And why would such a strong creature be in the realm of the ghosts-to-be? She startled suddenly at her next thought. What if this ghost was _hiding out_ in that realm because he was a _coward_? Then he would be no interest to her!…But then, her next thought soothed her. There was still an imbalance in the _kosmon_ **[1].** And she could not ignore _that._

Suddenly, she frowned in slight confusion when it unexpectedly occurred to her: why was it that any sense she had had of the imbalance in the cosmos had been weak, and even sporadic—but only for the last few months? Perhaps it was of no concern. After all, some discrepancy in the _kosmon_ was…tolerable, no matter how sour that thought was. Then, could she have been mistaken of its significance? No, Ĉasista was _never_ mistaken!

There was no real explanation why this imbalance seemed much odder than it had when she had detected it so many other times before, because there was more to it than it seemed at this moment. That weak, intermittent sense was paradoxical in and of itself; and it had increased enough to demand her attention…and, more importantly, her _action_!

She grunted. No matter how many buttons she pushed, she could not get the Skulker's little contraption to work! She stopped and examined her method; and that was when she finally realized that her forefront claws weren't small or precise enough to activate this small device! But she needed for this to work…or she needed more of the ghost's DNA….

Though she would have rather to have used the Plasonar Modulator herself—since she now understood that she couldn't—she would have to _persuade_ the male Ghost Hunter to activate and program it to do her bidding.

Tucking the small gizmo in a small crevice within her abdomen, she scrambled back to the area where she had left the still tied-up and poisoned cyborg ghost.

As she approached him, she suddenly looked hungrily at him, almost forgetting about the mission that now had captured her interest. Though the Skulker wouldn't be suitable for her more important plans, she was getting hungry! Still, she stopped short of sinking her fangs into where the tiny ghost would be. Rather, she stroked his robotic face and slowly coaxed him to rouse.

" _Pet, pet,"_ she cooed telepathically to his mind.

Though still very woozy from the poison, Skulker frowned reflexively at what he felt was an insult: he was _nobody's_ pet!

Unexpectedly, that thought triggered more thoughts…thoughts about his distaste about his last encounter with Vlad. The older half-ghost might as well as have called him 'pet' for how he had treated him!...

His mind growled as his thoughts intensified, _"I am_ _ **nobody's**_ _pet!"_

"' _Nobody's pet', eh?"_ Ĉasista mentally commented to his mind after she had read his last thoughts. _"And who is this fantomo_ **[2]** _that you have such unpleasant thoughts about, pet?"_

At first, Skulker paused at the unusual thought he thought he had just heard. Had that come from him? Why would he question himself 'who that someone was' when he knew that someone all too well? Still, the poison was enough to convince the hunter not to dwell on even that thought. Instead, he answered the question as if it had been his own, and it was full of bitterness:

" _Humph! He is no fantomo!_ **[3]** _He doesn't even deserve to be called a ghost! He's a half-ghost, a duone-fantomo_ **[4]** _!"_

" _What is this? There is no such thing as a duone-fantomo!"_ Ĉasista mentally uttered in surprise.

She thought that the powerful friend of this Skulker was a ghost…not a, what, _half-_ ghost? Preposterous! Was the cyborg ghost poisoned that much that he would accidentally make-up knowing such a creature? After all, she had never encountered or even heard of a 'half-ghost' in all of her existence, especially one so powerful whose DNA she had detected in the Skulker's aura! She could not be mistaken; but how could she explain this development?

Her thoughts were interrupted by Skulker's own meandering ones.

With a frown on his face, Skulker mentally uttered, _"I know who Vlad Plasmius is and so why would I be surprised about that?"_

" _Because_ _she has never encountered a duone-fantomo before. You must be more poisoned than she expected,"_ the spirit mentally answered.

" _She?"_ Skulker questioned in his mind. He paused and frowned, trying to gather his thoughts now that he knew that they had been wayward. As the clouds began to disperse, he focused and replied, _"I was thinking of no 'she'…"_ He paused again. Now he was convinced that he had not been the only one who was speaking.

He struggled to open his eyes and when he knew he was having difficulty doing that, he growled mentally in threat, _"Who_ _ **dares**_ _to invade my mind?"_

Though the spirit was impressed with this ghost's resistance and courage, she flippantly replied back only to his mind, _"Ha-ha, such impudence, pet!_ _Ĉasista_ _ **owns**_ _your mind now that you are her prey!"_

This time, Skulker purposely scrunched his eyes tighter in concentration. He was determined to block her mental assaults. But try as he might, he was still too much under the effects of her poison to do much of anything at the moment.

He grunted in frustration when he could mentally see her pulling out the Plasonar Modulator from within her and then showing it to him. And then he felt the pain ringing in his brain when she hammered back to his mind back in threat, _"And now, worm, you will tell Ĉasista how to use this device!"_

The spider cursed under her breath. Even though she knew that his race could rid themselves of her poison almost as quickly as she injected it, she could tell that she still had infected him with too much of it. So, at least for now, he wasn't able to fully comprehend her demands, much less blindly obey her.

Nevertheless, she _had_ to get him to obey her!

Ĉasista then increased the pain in her prey's mind to mask her next thoughts. Secretly, she was a bit worried about the tracking device. In the end, had the Skulker lied about its ability to track ghosts? What about this powerful _duone-fantomo,_ then? Would the little machine be useless in locating a creature such as him? She had to know! But then, she mentally frowned in irritation. This male within her power was also so very stubborn! Unfortunately, she had poisoned the Ghost Hunter to his limits right now. If she infected him more with her toxin to get this information, she could possibly destroy him—which was not in her plans yet...

The spider paused and her thoughts searched the cyborg ghost's disabled mind. He could have been lying about this device. After all, he had been able to resist her poison as effectively as the _Angelus-alvus_ had been; and even now, his thoughts were resisting and making progress against her latest mental assault. Stubborn creature! True, he probably could resist her poison and mental powers only because of what race of ghosts she had already sensed Skulker had come from.… How clever…She paused again. But was he _that_ clever?

She suddenly concentrated even more and probed Skulker's brain. And then, she smiled in near-triumph. Ah-ha! He was just as she remembered his race. And she would use that to her advantage now…

Meanwhile, the pain Skulker had felt riveting his brain moments before finally ridding himself of the spider spirit's venom began to subside rather quickly. Before he could wonder why, he was finally able to open his eyes at the sound of his captor's _audible_ voice. He reflexively frowned in irritation as her words raked his nerves.

"S-So, pet," Ĉasista almost-sweetly uttered, "She sees that you are recovering more quickly than most prey. Indeed, you are a very special ghost. But, alas, you are even more unique than you will ever know because you are a ghost whose history is unknown to you!"

"I do not know what you are talking about!" Skulker objected before adding, "I am a hunter ghost and that is all that is important. Sentimentality is for weak fools!"

Ĉasista's face hitched into what could be called a half-smile and softly countered, "Indeed; but there is a…need she sensed in you and—"

"I have no needs that I cannot fulfill myself!" Skulker hotly interrupted. "And any history I might wish to reveal to others is for me to decide alone!"

Though his audacity infuriated the spirit even as it intrigued her, Ĉasista calmly replied, "Indeed once again, pet! But she would have you hear of a race of ghosts that you remind her of…"

"I am too old for fairy-tales," the Ghost Hunter insisted.

"Aw, but there is always a truth behind the tales of myth," she insisted back.

Truth…

The word suddenly stung the cyborg ghost and his robotic and real faces frowned. And just as sudden, he felt his core burn with a desire he didn't understand to know the truth.

Meanwhile, his reaction had not gone unnoticed by the spirit. She smiled only to herself as she added more softly, "Ĉasista can tell that the Skulker understands her meaning. You will listen, for you may find some truth in it."

"As if I have a choice," Skulker bantered back; though Ĉasista could tell by his remark that she had been right about the ghost.

"No, pet, you do not," she assured him, but she was not sincere. "But, perhaps, if you find her tale interesting…"

"And why would I?" Skulker dared to challenge.

The spider's patience was wearing awfully thin all of the sudden, and she shoved her hideous face into his robotic one and growled, "Because Ĉasista might find you useful and not destroy you!" She then added with a more softened voice, "And a good hunter always appreciates useful information."

Skulker righted his chin and huffed in a mixture of indignation and resignation. What 'useful information'? Honestly, he didn't see the point of the spirit's insisting that he listen to some fanciful story that had nothing to do with him or give him any advantage of getting out of this mess.

"That is better, pet," the spider cooed as she began her story…

"There once was an ancient race of ghosts who came to be as most ghosts did and were very true to their name—as well as ironically named. Their forms looked a lot like the lowest race of ghosts, as the bodies of this olden race of ghosts were essentially small blobs of ectoplasm; and therefore, they could easily fool any other ghost about their true nature. Most all of the ghosts would then easily ignore or dismiss them as unimportant, and even quite stupid, ghosts."

A few of her eyes skirted over to Skulker and she wickedly smiled. Ah-ha, the Skulker _was_ interested as she had predicted! But in all that while, she had never stopped speaking…

"But if there was one thing true about this rare race of ghosts, it was this: they were far from stupid. They were extremely crafty. They recognized and honed all of their natural abilities like no other kind of ghost. They were very observant and eager to experience everything in the unique way that only they could. Their ability to remember practically all that they encountered and the stories that they heard was unmatched by any other ghost race. And in their eagerness to know everything, they searched for everything. That was why they were meant to be such exceptional hunters in spite of their size."

Skulker's eyes inadvertently widened a bit and he squirmed in nervousness. He didn't like where the spirit's story was going. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but be curious about it as well. Somehow, deep down in his core, he _needed_ to know; and so, he continued to listen to the spirit.

"Even the name of their race was an ironical twist of that of the lowest race of ghosts, known as the _Malfortas_." **[5]**

One of Skulker's eyebrows hitched in surprise. Of course, he knew very well who the _Malfortas_ were. And he often wondered why it was that he looked a lot like them but didn't at all act like them. In fact, those creatures didn't even speak: they simply moaned and wailed. And they certainly were dimwitted and helplessly pitiful ghosts. They had no sense of purpose. And they always annoyed him because they were not worthy prey. But what did this have to do with him?

" _Just what is she getting at?"_ he mentally growled. " _I do not see the relevance of this kind of talk."_

But, little did Skulker know that Ĉasista had never severed their telepathic connection even though she had been speaking out loud. And she controlled it enough to keep him unawares that she was reading his thoughts. She could tell that even though he was annoyed, his curiosity and _a certain need_ never dwindled. So like his kind. Still, she knew she had to slightly shift her point in this tale in order to keep the Skulker interested and possibly throw him off-guard to suit her immediate purpose with him. And so, she continued:

"And so ironical, then, that the name of this race is apropos because as rare as they once were, they are all but extinct now. They were known as the _**Maloftas**_." **[6]**

Skulker frowned to himself. Why did he somehow know that name? But, how could he? And why did his core constrict when he heard it? He couldn't possibly know anything about this race she kept insisting on telling him about. And, really, what was the point if they were extinct? Or did she say they were _nearly_ extinct? As if he should care! Still, he wasn't satisfied with rejecting what he was hearing, either…There was a gnawing sensation within him…as if somehow, this evil creature had detected what was important to him, even when he denied it. Something he had somehow lost; but at the same time, didn't know _how_ he had lost it. He half-smiled at the irony. Here he was, the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter, who remembered countless of legends and could re-tell the histories of countless of races of ghosts and even of what had happened in the Ghost Zone itself. And yet, he felt cheated of all that knowledge, even as he never wanted to ever… admit that he did not remember the history of who _he_ was...

Ĉasista snickered only to herself when she sensed his thoughts. She was wearing his mental resistance down as she had planned.

She didn't hesitate to continue, even though her tone had changed to suggest that she was now talking only to herself, "Yes, the _Maloftas_. A most interesting and paradoxical breed. The make-up of their character was full of contradictions. They both hungered for and loathed the company of others, even their own kind. Therefore, they were unquestionable experts at finding and avoiding other races as they willed. And they were passionate as they were cold in their emotions. Though each of them were truly a loner and though they did not encourage it, they easily secured strong bonds with each other and with other ghosts of their choosing; bonds so strong, other ghosts could swear they were tangible! Even so, their ironic nature made them a worthy race in the cosmos."

Ĉasista paused slightly before feigning a sigh, "Ahh, it is a small pity that they phased away without a satisfying reason. But all the more pity that there is none left to care enough about their demise so as to carry on their legacy."

The spider rested one of her front claws against what could be called her face and added with far less emotion, "However, with all of their complexity, the _Maloftas_ were still 'level six' ghosts. And they became extinct for a very simple reason: they were too curious."

Suddenly, Skulker found himself blurting out, "Just why are you telling me all of this? Just come out with what you want to say!"

The spider spirit was actually amused at his reaction. If he only knew that she had anticipated such a violent rejection followed by a compulsion to embrace and even accept what she was telling him. Still, she finally replied, "Ĉasista can tell that you know her true meaning here. And she will make her point in due time, pet. After all, as you admitted before, you have no choice but to listen."

Skulker harrumphed. Though he wouldn't confirm it to her, he had to agree that he was hardly in any position to stop her. It was just that, for some reason, what she was saying was making emotional dents in his core. And that made him very uncomfortable, especially when he was becoming convinced that he must be one of these _Maloftas_! But if he were a _Malofta_ , how did he come to be and why was his race for all intents and purposes extinct? His mind hitched in a gasp. Was he the last of the _Maloftas_?

"And how is it that you know all about this supposed race?" he dared to ask.

The spider sensed that she was making headway with knocking his psychological barriers down. Still, she wasn't going to fully satisfy his curiosity yet.

She almost flippantly replied, "Ĉasista knows much about many things. After all, she is more ancient than even the _Maloftas_."

Skulker frowned. Just what did she mean by that?

But his thoughts were interrupted when Ĉasista continued, "Now, where was she? Ah, yes. Though the talents of the _Maloftas_ were many, their strongest talent was ultimately their doom. They let their curiosity get the better of them. You see, even though the _Maloftas_ were excellent hunters, they really didn't have any kind of suspicion of other ghost races. And that was because they hunted for the _sake_ of hunting. They wanted no prey except those they could call discovered. And so, in their quest to discover new beings, they often found ghosts far more powerful than they who didn't hesitate to destroy them."

"But then again, in their defense, the _Maloftas_ found it very hard to be suspicious of others because they readily had the capacity to _empathize_ with others. How, you might ask? Because they were able to smell the emotions and even psyche of other ghosts. And that natural tendency made them more eager to converse with—and more importantly, truly listen to—any ghost they happened upon. In fact, that empathy was stronger in some more than other _Maloftas."_

The spirit smirked to herself when her telepathic link with Skulker confirmed that he was curious to know more.

She didn't hesitate to add, "Much as these talents seem desirable to the foolish, and were unfortunate for the _Malofta_ race, their hunting skills were useless if they let their empathy or curiosity cloud their missions. Not that many did because they could be very stubborn and keep focused on their mission. But for most of them who had a tendency to be more open to possibilities, their destiny was doomed. Many became the prey even when 'level six' ghosts could hold their own against most ghosts. After all, they weren't 'level six' ghosts because of their strength. They really were no match to protect themselves from most ghosts because their bodies were vulnerable and small compared to most ghosts. They were 'level six' ghosts because of their cleverness and intellect."

Ĉasista paused when that last train of thought seemed to jump at her. Her eyes inadvertently skirted over to Skulker and seemed to bore holes in him in examination.

Intelligent…She sensed that this ghost was far more intelligent than the average _Malofta._ He had to be; otherwise, he would not have been able to devise such a strategy as to protect his fragile ghost body within a powerful suit of armor…nor, more importantly, could he have survived this long. He must have been a much more stubborn and determined _Malofta_ as well _._ And a very suspicious one so as not to be so openly trusting. Pity that he would not be able to continue to defy the odds now that he was in her power…

Power.

That was the reason for trying to get this creature to cooperate with her by wearing his mental defenses down. Though she was a very powerful spirit, she wanted even more power and to accomplish her two-fold mission.

Though she knew the Skulker was truly one-of-a-kind, she had no desire to appease any more of his curiosity about his kind without his appeasing her with her desires that started this whole story.

She cleverly then said, "So, the Skulker, you know now that you are indeed a _Malofta."_ She took out the Plasonar Modulator and added, "And Ĉasista will tell you more only if you will …"

Skulker narrowed his eyes and his robotic brow furrowed in suspicion as he interrupted, "Oh, I understand now! You would use my weaknesses to get me to do your bidding in the end! I should not have fallen for your bait; but as you well know, Ĉasista, **if** I am indeed a _Molofta_ , then you will also know that _Maloftas_ learn quickly from their mistakes!"

The evil spider cursed under her breath even as she resisted the urge to destroy him at this very moment. How right he was! And curse his stubbornness! She did know very well the nature of the _Maloftas_! But, it had been such a long time since she had to remember the distasteful elements of their nature: their stubbornness; their strong loyalty to any ghost they felt an affinity to; and for any ghost they considered as friends, their unbreakable pledge and even bond as allies.

Of course, their stubbornness was a plus when it came to hunting; but it was irritation to say the least when they made up their mind to be uncooperative! Perhaps she should poison him again to do her bidding…No. Their telepathic connections had not been severed during this entire time….and she could feel that the Skulker was bluffing. He _did_ want to know more about…his race!

She suddenly paused when she sensed something very unique about this particular _Malofta._ Something she had overlooked, but now was very important. Though that knowledge disgusted her a bit, she was now glad she hadn't destroyed him yet. After all, she would never admit that she, too, was a very curious creature which was easily amused by the unique…

" _Interesting…This one is very unique, even to his own race,"_ she mused triumphantly only to herself. " _Ah, then, his weakness could still be to her advantage to get what she wantss…"_

" _So, pet,"_ she softly whispered telepathically to his mind this time, " _Tell Ĉasista the secret to the workings of this magic device you have given to me and she will reveal to you all the_ _ **truths**_ _about the Maloftas."_

Skulker actually startled at this development and shot his robotic head up. He thought that their mental connection had been severed.

" _So sorry, the Skulker,"_ she continued almost tenderly _, 'that you are not astute enough of a hunter to know when you are the prey that is being studied and taken by surprised!"_

Skulker frowned and said out loud, purposely spiting her wanting to speak to him telepathically, "You are no sorrier than I am eager to have you invade my mind! Now. Get. OUT!"

But he still heard her chuckle echo in his ghostly brain just before she continued to blow her thoughts to his mind, " _Come, come, pet. No need to get so dramatic. After all, all ghosts are supposed to_ _be allies..."_

"And since when do supposed allies tie each other up?" the Ghost Hunter challenged back.

The spider spirit was now no longer amused with him. But she also wasn't through. She continued to wear him down by communicating only mentally with him, _"You would not be so smug or stubborn if you knew the truth about what became of your race!"_

Skulker was shocked to silence. He did want to know about what happened to his…kind, but he also didn't want to help his foe in any capacity.

Ĉasista sensed Skulker's internal conflict. So like a _Malofta;_ and, in the end, so easy to fool…

" _In fact, you do not even deserve such knowledge, for you are not noble or brave enough to withstand the truth!"_ she mentally accused.

Her words riveted Skulker's core. Skulker squared his chin and hissed, "As if you know or respect the truth, witch! But if indeed you can breathe any truth, then I can take it!"

" _Very well, pet,"_ she almost chuckled to his mind. _"But first, you will agree to show Ĉasista this device's secrets…"_

The cyborg ghost paused in conflict once more. Two of his natures were battling each other: the one that desired for the truth about his history and the one that kept him loyal to Vlad.

This time Ĉasista's spider face scrunched up in a look of disdain when he wasn't agreeing to anything. She shook the Plasonar Modulator threateningly and snarled both out loud and mentally, "So be it then, the Skulker! Since you continue to be a stubborn little _Malofta_ , Ĉasista will rid herself of this pesky little thing and then get rid of pesky little you!"

Her threat was enough for Skulker to decide.

"No!" he protested. "I will program the device to find the one you want!"

Ĉasista smirked in triumph, but she craftily replied, "Does she have your bond on your words?"

Though Skulker frowned, he simply said with a set jaw, "Yes."

The spirit almost cackled in glee before she continued, "Well enough, then, that Ĉasista tells you all that should satisfy your curiosity and show you that loyalty is fleeting…"

Skulker didn't like her remark; but still, he said nothing when the spider proceeded to tell him what had become of his race…

"As you already know, the _Maloftas_ were indeed a most interesting race. They had several thriving colonies that were clustered around each other enough for them to live apart and yet share the knowledge that their hunters had captured. They even had units of commonality—what some creatures would call..ugh…families—whose members were of all ages. Though, ironically, no Malofta ever concerned him or herself about the effects of time and so, the question of 'age' was unimportant. But what was important was what they would deny: They definitely formed strong bonds with each other, whether as family or colony."

"For quite some time, all seemed well for your race's having a delicate and rare balance, until, one day, they discovered the bane of their existence."

Skulker tensed at her words but kept silent.

Some of Ĉasista's eyes caught his reaction, but she continued with the same tone of voice, "You, the Skulker, were quite small at the time. In some ways, that was a curse in and of itself. But, as you hear, it is history…."

The spirit paused briefly and then continued as if she had slightly changed the subject, "A fairly large scouting party of _Maloftas_ returned to their colonies full of wonder and excitement. They had discovered an entrance to a strange new realm that seemed to be bursting with knowledge and filled with a new race of ghosts. Their charged hunter's instinct and curiosity—which was a very dangerous combination—only heightened that hunger."

"Though some of, perhaps, the more enlightened _Maloftas_ objected, that scouting party needed very little persuasion to lead several more _Maloftas_ to that secret realm…in fact, a _significant_ number of them left, leaving a pitiful few behind…"

Somehow, Skulker felt a sense of dread constrict his core and he swallowed the lump in his throat that followed. Nevertheless, he didn't comment.

Though Ĉasista noticed his reaction, she didn't pause in her story, "The _Maloftas_ had indeed wandered into a realm full of knowledge. But they had not wandered into a realm full of a new race of ghosts, though they probably wish they had, for this realm hunted them relentlessly and destroyed all that entered."

The spider spirit's face then glowered and seemed to spit out the next words in disdain, "So, you should understand from now on, the Skulker, that your loyalty to a _duone-fantomo_ is both an insult and a disgrace to your race!"

Skulker's eyebrows shot up when he knew that she must be referring to the only ' _duone-fantomo'_ he was loyal to, which was the half-ghost, Vlad! But that thought didn't keep him from hearing what she said next.

"For you see, the Skulker, it was the creatures in the _Sfero_ _de Fantomoj-al-Esti,_ **[7]** that eliminated nearly all of your kin!"

Skulker felt as if the spider had stabbed him in his core. _Humans_ had annihilated his race! That is why he hated them!...The truth hurt as much as Ĉasista had said it would!

But his thoughts were interrupted.

"Ah, pet, but there is more!" the spider said with a mixture of glee and doom in her voice. "The ghosts-to-be did _more_ than destroy the _Maloftas_ that had entered their realm. For you see, pet, the bonds that the _Maloftas_ had with each other were indeed very, very rare…they were so strong and deep that, incredibly, they were as solid as the ghosts-to-be's rope! When most of them had been destroyed by the ghosts-to-be in their realm within such a short period of time, the bonds existing within those paltry few left in their colonies severed so violently—as real as any ghost-to-be's flesh is torn—that they went into shock. Many of the _Maloftas_ within their own colonies perished from that shock alone. The very scant few who survived even that had their minds wiped clean—all of them. But as if fate could not be crueler, they also lost their intellect—that is, except for only the youngest, whose minds were in a state of temporary unconsciousness during their required rest when the bond severed."

For once in his after-life, Skulker felt a pressure in his eyes and his throat constrict. Though he wanted to reject her words, something within his core embraced it. It had to be, because it had to be the only explanation for…who he was. He must have been one of the youngest who had survived because he had been _sleeping_ ….He paused….Did that mean that there might be other ghosts like him who had to be very young at that time? Or had they met just as worse of a fate? Of course, he might never know…

Suddenly, he wasn't sure how he should feel about all this…Maybe Ĉasista wasn't lying. Maybe the humans had essentially annihilated his entire race and he should hunt and destroy them all! But…there was something rare about him among all of the _Maloftas_ that all of the sudden steered his feelings elsewhere…He had the most capacity for compassion, fair-play, courage, honesty…and…and…

But, her words interrupted his thoughts yet again.

"Ah, pet, but there is still more of you to bruise and humiliate, for Ĉasista needs to tell you that your race does indeed still survive!"

Skulker's face changed from confusion to hope, only for it to crash into pain when she said, "They survived only because they were ignored as the insignificant creatures they now are and deserve to be."

Somehow, Skulker's core seemed to say what she was now saying at the exact same moment: "The _Maloftas_ became the _Malfortas_!"

Though his core burned with the knowledge, he somehow knew that what she had said was true, especially when he unwittingly heard a faint echo of her laughter only in his mind.

So…not only were the humans responsible for eradicating most of his kin, but also relegating those _Maloftas_ who had survived to the lowest of the ghosts!... Except… for him, as far as he knew…But then again, why was he spared? His thoughts suddenly slipped to his earlier musings.

But only a few moments later, the cyborg ghost tersely said, "You have fulfilled your end of the bargain, and now it is my turn. I will program the Plasonar Modulator to find Plasmius. Of course, you will have to release my arms to do that."

A hideous grin burst upon Ĉasista's face as she practically whooped, "And now, you _do_ understand, the Skulker, that loyalty is fleeting…"

She promptly and quickly unwound the webbing around the ghost's robotic body.

Skulker lost no time in programming the little machine to track Vlad Plasmius.

"It is done," he simply said before he suddenly hurled the small watch-like device against a rock-like object jutting out of the floor of the webbed wall.

The Plasonar Modulator smashed upon impact.

Ĉasista gasped and her face scowled when Skulker added, "And you are correct. Loyalty is fleeting…with one's foes!"

The spider pounced upon the ghost and bit into his head while winding fresh webbing around his arms.

But unbeknownst to the spider and the Ghost Hunter, the little device didn't completely break. Instead, a special feature not even Skulker knew about was activated…

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 **[1] Esperanto meaning 'cosmos'.**

 **[2] Esperanto meaning 'ghost'.**

[ **3] Esperanto meaning 'half-ghost'.**

 **[4] Esperanto meaning 'human'.**

 **[5] Esperanto meaning 'weakest'. As you know from reading my story, 'Gold Tested in Fire', that this is the name of the lowest race of ghosts. The Malfortas are blobs of ectoplasm with no virtually no intellect.**

 **[6] Esperanto meaning 'rare'.**

 **[7] Esperanto for 'Realm of the Ghosts-to-be', in other words, Earth!**

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 **A/N: I hope y'all are enjoying this story and will let me know! I will be going on vacation within the next week or so; and so, I may be late in updating the next chapter. Thanks for all your support!**


	11. Chapter 11 On the Hunt

**A/N: Hiya, everybodee! I'm back from all my travels and I'm rested up enough to update now. Remember the disclaimer that I don't own any DP characters, but I do own this plot and any original characters! I hope you enjoy the show!**

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Entanglement—Chapter 11—On the Hunt

Ĉasista was not satisfied in the least after she released the cyborg ghost as his body slumped and his aura dulled within his ĉerko. Why had she pulled back almost immediately after she had attacked and bit into this insignificant _Malofta_? She should have destroyed him for destroying that little device that had been so vital to her plans! He shouldn't have been so uncooperative and so blindly loyal!

All eight of her eyes seemed as lasers boring holes as she looked upon the almost comatose ghost….She then smiled wickedly… No, she wouldn't destroy him just yet…and she would make him wish she had…

Still, the problem of locating the Skulker's ally needed to be resolved.

And so, there had to be some way to get what she wanted…

She glanced over to where the Skulker had thrown the now shattered Plasonar Modulator. What could be called her face instantly scrunched up in more dissatisfaction. She was _never_ this sloppy. Knowing what she did about the nature of _Maloftas_ , she should have known that the bond between the robot ghost and that mighty one she desired must have been actually strong enough to be _tangible_ , which meant that the _Malofta_ would never have willingly betrayed his…friend.

Nevertheless, she would never admit an error enough to chide or fret herself, but she might have if she had known that a special—and stealth—feature of the device was still quite active.

She scurried over to the area where the Skulker had thrown the little device and reflexively began to clean up the area. But every time she picked up a piece of the Plasonar Modulator and tossed it to a seldom-used nearby crevice that she would seal up afterward, she sensed more ghostly DNA all over the pieces that had once been _within_ the shell of the device. In fact, several of her forelegs were covered in the foreign material that she knew belonged to that powerful ghost.

All of the sudden, her hideous face rose up in a smile.

Perhaps this would now be enough!

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For all intents and purposes, Vlad had forgotten about Skulker's rude departure a couple of days ago. Even when Vlad had recovered enough to manage himself in some capacity, in reality, however, Vlad had not fully shaken the effects of the Spectre rays when he had argued with his friend; and so, didn't recall most of it. In addition, his mind was still not as clear or as sharp as it usually was before that attack.

Pity, then, that Vlad was still foggy and too busy enough to think any more about his ally or why he had left in such a huff. Instead, he had been practically living in his basement lab since he came to most of his senses, bent on trying to fix his main 'Maddie' computer. Unbeknownst to Vlad, however, the computer had been fixed by Skulker a few weeks ago. It hadn't been awry in any way since then, except for missing all the files he had on his young adversary, Daniel, compliments of Tucker.

But that was precisely why the older hybrid thought something was wrong with his computer. He couldn't understand where those files had gone no matter how much time he had taken for the past two days searching for them. He didn't realize that his still befuddled mind had convinced him— and had even become obsessed with the notion—that if he could only find those lost files, he could get to the root of his computer's problem. In addition, he was so absorbed in this mystery at this point, he had concluded that only _he_ could fix the computer.

He had long rejected using his Maddie hologram search for those missing files for him. In fact, he had turned her off shortly after his search began because she insisted over and over again that those files were non-existent—and he knew her programs must have been corrupted somewhere. So, right now, he didn't trust his computer. Once he could locate those files on Daniel and transfer them to another smaller computer, then he could run a diagnostic test on his main computer.

Still, as the hours dragged on, Vlad's patience began to run thinner and thinner, especially when he hadn't even taken the time to eat in all this time.

"Blast!" he angrily blurted out as he slammed both of his fists on the console in front of which he was standing and had been working. "Where are those files?"

He pushed down a few more buttons harder than he normally would out of frustration.

Finally, after seeing the little rectangular box pop-up with a yellow triangle and exclamation point embedded in it proudly displaying the 'File Not Found' message for the umpteenth time on the screen, Vlad's shoulders inadvertently slumped and he felt his energy suddenly rush out.

He stepped back from the keyboard, walked over to a nearby chair and sat down. He sighed as he rubbed his forehead and then his eyes in a combination of frustration and fatigue.

He kept his eyes closed and leaned back into the plush chair so deeply that he felt he could melt right into it. Now he was certain that he was very tired….And now that he thought about it, it must be late because he was just as hungry.

He pulled himself up and back to a stand and walked over to the nearby intercom.

He hardly waited for his finger to push the button fully down before he interjected, "George?"

"Yes, Mr. Masters?" came the immediate reply.

"Could you have Derek bring in some lunch to the lab in the basement?"

George hesitated a moment. He didn't want to tell his employer that Derek had brought him lunch over four hours ago—and breakfast even longer than that—and according to Derek, the man had not touched either meals and hadn't even acknowledged Derek with the butler's quiet comings and goings with each meal, including when the butler had gone and clean up at the usual time afterward. Therefore, it really was just about time for supper.

Still, the ghost chef asked, "The usual, sir?"

"Yes," Vlad wearily replied, "But also bring some of that ghost herb tea I use to help me sleep as well. I might just lie down a little while after eating. I suppose I am feeling a bit dizzy from all this work."

Though it was George's nature to be really persnickety when it came to the man's health, and immediately ask questions about it, he was certain that his employer's not eating was the one of the reasons for all that dizziness—and even foggy thinking. He also wondered if the man hadn't really fully recovered from that attack of the Spectre about which Skulker had told him and the other staff.

Still, the ghost chef resisted the urge to comment further and instead replied, "As you wish, sir," before he set about starting his new task.

A scant thirty minutes later and Derek was softly rapping on the lab door.

"Come in," Vlad tiredly mumbled.

As Derek entered with a tray full of covered dishes, he was still uncertain about what George had instructed him to do. Nevertheless, he cordially replied, "Your lunch, sir."

The ghost butler didn't hesitate to place the tray on the small table next to the lounge chair upon which Vlad was sitting.

"Thank you, Derek. You may go," the man automatically directed just as he began to pour the glowing tea into a teacup.

"Very good, sir," the ghost servant politely acknowledged before he quietly left the room.

Privately, Derek was relieved that the man had at least _noticed_ him this time.

Vlad slowly ate over half of his sandwich and most of the fruit salad before he began to drink his tea more than eat.

The soothing ghost tea melted the tightness in the man's forehead, neck and upper shoulders. He let his mind drift further with what felt like to him as if he were in a small, snug rubber raft being gently rocked by a calm sea. Before he knew it, the older hybrid was fast asleep while still sitting on the lounge chair.

About a half-hour later, Derek softly rapped on the door in order to check on the man's progress with his lunch, er, dinner. When he heard no response, he waited a moment more before rapping again. Finally, he slowly turned the doorknob and went in.

The butler's throat tightened and his first impulse was to leave when he saw that his employer was asleep and his plate still had food on it. He absolutely didn't want to startle his employer awake or else he could be on the receiving end of a powerful ghost's ectoplasmic reaction like Skulker had said had happened to his computer. On the other hand, if Derek didn't clean up at the appointed time like he always did, his employer might chew him out like he had been doing the last several days with almost all of his staff shortly after he sort of came to his senses. He could attest that Mr. Masters had been out-of-sorts since then and was uncharacteristically picky about how his staff had been performing their duties.

Of course, it did help that Skulker had firmly assured the staff that they had been performing their duties correctly and satisfactory, as always. But then, his employer's friend was suddenly not there to smooth things out for the past two or so days, which didn't help matters right now.

Derek hesitated only a few more moments before he made a decision. He gingerly and carefully cleaned-up the area and made sure he quietly closed the door before he crept away. He knew that his employer would summon him if he needed him.

The butler certainly hoped that the man would be in a more pleasant mood after he had gotten more rest. His nerves couldn't take it anymore.

 **Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Several hours later, Vlad's eyes flipped open. He blinked and looked around in slight confusion on where he was until his vision fully cleared. Lucky for him, that significant snooze had been enough for him to have finally cleared the last of the Spectre seals' effect on him.

One of his hands reached up and cupped his face before he slowly rubbed his eyes. Why was the light in here so bright? He slowly got up and looked at the clock. It was now six o'clock in the morning.

He had slept all this time from after lunch? He blinked at the time in disbelief, trying to fully unscramble his brain that had been off-rail for more time than ever before in his life. But, of course, he wasn't aware that he had actually fallen asleep shortly after suppertime.

Finally, his mind was alert enough for him to actually remember what he had been doing prior to falling asleep.

"That's right…" he murmured as he got up and walked over to the nearby computer mainframe. "I was searching for Daniel's files…But it's still odd that there were none…Maybe Maddie could…"

But then he paused in mid-thought when he saw that her program had been put off-line. He frowned at the vague prodding that quickly followed his remark. "That's right again…I turned her off. But she would have to know where…"

Once again, he trailed off when another thought pushed through. No, that wasn't right, either. Something was wrong with her program, too…. What he needed was _Skulker's_ help to figure out why his computer was awry, like he _always_ did…

The man then scrunched his forehead at a vague feeling. Somehow, he had a nagging feeling that his friend had been here…but had left in less than friendly terms.

Why was that?

But he instantly dismissed the event as if it were a daily occurrence as he chuckled to himself, "That's just like Skulker. Always trying to be the 'tough, emotionless hunter' when we both know better! He's probably already forgotten whatever we disagreed about, just like so many times before.

Vlad leaned over and pushed a command button on the console. After several minutes, it was clear that the Ghost Hunter hadn't even acknowledged the man's summons. Once again, the older half-ghost pushed the same button; and several more minutes later, it was more than obvious that there wasn't even a peep from Vlad's ghost friend.

At first, Vlad sloughed it off. After all, this did occasionally happen. "Oh, Skulker must be extremely busy, or off hunting far enough to be out of range. But I'm sure he'll check back with me as soon as he can."

But then, the man looked at his computer. There was still the problem of about his computer's malfunctioning…and he really didn't want to wait indefinitely for the ghost to get back to him.

" _Perhaps, I could,"_ he began to himself, only to slightly turn his head to an odd sound and a blinking light.

"What the…?" he uttered as he approached the flashing button on the console.

He double-checked the information displayed on the monitor before he muttered under his breath, "Who activated the Plasonar Modulator's homing signal? And why is the beacon barely detectable?"

He suddenly startled at his next thought, "And Skulker was the last to use it!" But then he frowned in slight doubt, "Or was he?"

Now he wasn't so sure since he was still a bit at a loss as to why he couldn't remember much of anything for the last few weeks. Maybe Skulker had returned it during that lost time.

But then again, if Skulker had returned it, why was it sending out a signal? After all, the device wouldn't do that unless it was on and didn't detect the movement of its user or had been damaged.

He hurriedly pushed more buttons. The homing signal was still very faint, which meant it definitely wasn't anywhere near here. On the contrary, it had to be very far away from here.

The man than puckered his face in concentration before he decided, "As far as I can remember, Skulker was the last to use it! Otherwise, it wouldn't be that far away. And since I know that he would never misplace or destroy such an exquisite device— or be so sloppy as to forget to turn it off—then he must be in trouble!"

Trouble.

His throat tightened at the thought that his friend could be in some kind of danger. But then, he tried to dismiss the thought. "I'm sure there's a rational explanation for this. After all, the computer has been malfunctioning when it comes to those files on Daniel. Maybe this is just another fluke."

But something inside of him denied even that. In fact, that same tug pulled out the most recent memories of when he had last seen his friend. And he suddenly had a vague notion that he had treated Skulker badly.

How did that happen? The older hybrid tried to search his mind; and he frowned when the only thing he could remember about Skulker was all that he had done for him when he and Daniel had been imprisoned by the Observants. But he hadn't been mad at Skul—wait…

Fuzzy memories, as if they were badly edited movies, raced through his brain. He remembered Skulker's frown, his frustration and his loud words…And, more importantly, abruptly leaving in the middle of their argument.

Vlad frowned, trying to sort those memories out. But he couldn't. And then he startled slightly…At that time, Skulker had said something that he hadn't been himself, but he hadn't believed him. But he _had_ to have been beside himself because he couldn't remember!

What had happened to him?

But instead of trying to form any kind of hypothesis, Vlad was more aware of a sudden twinge of guilt weighing on his core now that he was certain that he had somehow treated his friend unfairly. And that was enough for him to refocus on that slight whine coming from and the light blinking on his computer's console.

"He _has_ to be in trouble!" the man said with more certainly just before he began to push some more command keys.

Vlad then grunted in frustration. Triangulating the small device's whereabouts would be extremely tricky because the weak signal increased the margin of error. Still, he had to try.

He pressed key after key on the console trying to narrow the location of where the Plasonar Modulator might be. But as time ebbed further, the man grew more and more agitated. In reference to where his mansion was, he could only tell that it must be somewhere in the westernmost side of the Ghost Zone, which meant it might as well be anywhere!

"That's not good enough!" Vlad growled with irritation, as he continued to hit other switches, only to get the same results.

He stopped and pinched the bridge of his nose. There were so many possibilities as to where the Plasonar Modulator could be, that only a… _computer_ could narrow them down!

He would have to use his Maddie computer in spite of his misgivings about her abilities since he had come out of his mental fog —not at all entertaining the thought that had been _he_ who had been out of touch with reality, not the other way around.

But then again, that was so like Vlad to drift back into thinking egocentrically —whether in a mental fog or not!

He reluctantly reactivated the Maddie program and just as he had finished pronouncing her name, the hologram immediately materialized and sweetly asked, "What can I do for you, muffin cake?"

He was so upset about everything that had happened since he had recovered from the Spectre attack that he didn't even twitch one muscle in his face in reaction to her greetings. Instead, he dryly commanded, "I need for you to locate the Plasonar Modulator. I could only narrow down where it might be to the _entire_ Ghost Zone area _west_ of our location, but the signal is too weak to…"

"Would you like me to boost the signal?" she immediately asked.

"I've already done that," he said with some irritation.

The hologram glanced at the controls and replied with a bit of giddiness, "I see that you only used file program 2xDR, sugar cube, but you did not access any of the five other programs that could better boost the signal!"

Vlad paused. He had forgotten about those programs mainly because he hadn't had the opportunity to use them before. Now, he was glad he had reactivated his hologram.

He finally responded, "Thank you, Maddie. Then, go ahead and use whatever program you need to locate the Plasonar Modulator."

"Right away, lumpkins," the computer-generated image said with a giggle as her holographic fingers rapidly pressed countless buttons at a speed that Vlad wouldn't have been able to even begin to do.

After several long minutes filled with both silence and anticipation on Vlad's part, Maddie the computer finally reported, "I'm sorry, honeydew, but I cannot locate the Plasonar Modulator."

Vlad was about to question her when a map of the western side of the Ghost Zone with a cone-shape green holographic projection overlain over it materialized on the monitor near the man. That cone-shape green projection was not solid; but instead, was a skeletal version of a cone made up of slowly expanding grids to making viewing coordinates on the map easier. But right in the middle of the cone was a red line that expanded the entire length of the cone.

Maddie continued to speak; and as she did, the cone-shape holographic green projection adjusted in sequence in relationship to the map during her explanation. "As you can see, sweetie-tomato, the narrowest part of the cone begins at the location of this dwelling. As it travels further and further away from its starting point, the error of probability gradually increases as the linear pathway extends westward from here as you surmised in your first calculations. However, I have been able to triangulate the homing beacon of your device to the point of eliminating some errant possible areas of where it might be. In addition, I have narrowed the cone-shape path to a range of no more than one-hundred twenty feet at the widest diameter —assuming, that is, that this calculated flight path is the most probable of the million or so others."

Vlad actually frowned at her report. He had hope that she would have given him an exact location, not a best calculated guess. But at least his hologram had significantly narrowed the range in a fraction of time that he would have taken to reach the same conclusions.

Nevertheless, he knew this was probably the best that he could have expected; and he finally replied, "So, my dear, how long do you think it will take to get in a better range than what you calculated?"

"Of course, as you get closer to your target, the margin of error will decrease, but only when you are close enough to actually lock into the homing beacon's trajectory," she replied before adding, "In the meantime, the time to complete the best projected flight path, though still hypothetical, is at least seventy-two point five hours, plus or minus zero point two minutes —if you travel at great speed and constantly, that is. Perhaps, then, I might suggest using the _Vladociter_ **[1]** for most of the way."

Vlad knew right away that she was referring to his version of the Fenton Specter Speeder. It had great velocity, of course, but it had also needed a jazzier name than 'Velociter'. Logically, then, he had named it the _Vladociter._ But, before he could ask more questions, she added, "However, even with bringing extra fuel for the _Vladociter,_ that ingenious flying machine still might not make it to your targeted location."

Vlad's face scrunched up in worry this time. Even though he didn't know why Skulker had travelled that far away—or even _how_ he had gotten there so quickly when he had last seen him only a couple of days ago— he was now certain that his friend must be needing help. But just how far away was he? Really, it didn't matter. He knew that using his teleporting power around the entire _Vladociter_ to save fuel would drain him considerably with each instance. But it would help nevertheless. And if he did finally run out of fuel, he could teleport by himself as much as he could until he reached his designation.

"Alright, Maddie," he finally decided just as he morphed into his ghost form. "After you program the flight path and link the enhanced tracking system for the Plasonar Modulator into the _Vladociter_ , I will have to leave."

The computer-generated image's fingers deftly rapped on several keys before she announced, "Done as instructed, lambkins."

Plasmius smirked slightly. He would hate having to turn her off; but under the circumstances that no one would be here, and because he was still convinced that something was wrong with her, he couldn't risk keeping her on.

"Thank you, my dear," he replied before he flipped the main circuit breaker.

She instantly de-materialized.

 **Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Vlad Plasmius scanned the Ghost Zone western horizon as his _Vladociter_ continued to head toward the direction from where the Plasonar Modulator's beacon was transmitting. He unconsciously rubbed his forehead. That last teleportation of his flying machine and him took more out of him than he thought. Still, he had to admit that he had taken a lot of miles out of the equation to getting to his target during those four attempts. In fact, according to the latest coordinates, he might be lucky enough to have to teleport only a couple of times more.

Nevertheless, he was glad that nothing outside for as far as he could see seemed out of the ordinary, including having almost no ghosts. And that meant he didn't have to worry too much about being attacked. Not that he couldn't hold his own with any imbecilic ghost who dared to challenge him. It was just that he was already a bit more tired than he would like and needed to conserve his energy as much as he could to get to the Plasonar Modulator, and hopefully, to Skulker.

Still, as he continued onward, the pattern remained the same: no ghosts to speak of. He didn't understand why; but in the end, he really didn't care because that meant that he would not have to deal with any unnecessary delays in his mission.

He paused with that thought. Perhaps, then, one day, he could make plans to make this western part of the Ghost Zone part of his territory!

But for now, his slightly dulled mind focused all of its efforts into not losing the Plasonar Modulator's beacon signal.

He suddenly yawned in fatigue. Maybe he would wait until he ran low on fuel before he would teleport the craft and himself again; and even then, as tired as he still felt, he might reserve that need for teleporting only himself for the rest of the duration.

But after a few more hours of travelling, the ghost hybrid frowned once again on how empty this side of the Ghost Zone was.

" _Now I can see why ghosts don't like to be out here because there are not even any floating ledges,"_ he thought to himself. _"It's also interesting that there aren't even any Malfortas, like I would expect. Odd…."_

He pushed a button that widened the scope of the scanner of the area in front of the _Vladociter_ and carefully studied what was being projected back.

He frowned again. He knew that Skulker traveled extensively throughout the Ghost Zone looking for unique prey. But why would he hunt in such a desolate area?

The half-ghost immediately hypothesized, "Because there has to be _something_ of interest to him for him to come this far into the Ghost Zone."

Too bad that all of Vlad's memories surrounding his last plot for getting his young adversary at his side had been wiped clean, or else he would have already known that Skulker had indeed found 'something of interest' to him using the Plasonar Modulator; namely, the _Angeli_ , and, more importantly, their leader, Angelus-alvus, whom Skulker had brought back to try to help Vlad break the younger hybrid several weeks ago.

Otherwise, the older hybrid would have been extra careful before entering the outskirts of the _Sfero de Ĥaoso._ And he definitely would have been very cautious if he had known that even more mischief was afoot sooner than…

 _Bam!_

Vlad was rattled out of his current thoughts when something hit the back of his speeder—literally out of nowhere! None of the scanners had detected or alerted him of any obstruction or entity anywhere near this vicinity when the _Vladociter_ was assaulted.

But before he could put the flying machine into a defensive mode, it was being jerked backward!

"You don't know with whom you are dealing, whatever fool you may be," Plasmius grumbled with a set jaw.

Suddenly, the older half-ghost concentrated; and an aura formed around the still-bucking speeder. A split second later, the flying machine had been teleported several hundred yards from where it had been attacked.

Plasmius ignored the slight dizziness from his effort; but he knew that he had successfully freed the machine. He immediately steered it to one-hundred-eighty degrees to face its apparent foe.

But once the _Vladociter_ had completed its about face, the hybrid's eyebrow shot up in surprise.

Nothing was there!

Plasmius didn't like this one bit. But after a few more tense moments, he quickly pulled the flying machine back to its original course. Though he had been going at a very fast clip way before he had been assaulted, he now set the flying machine at full throttle; and the vessel lurched forward.

Now that the man was on high alert, he expanded the reach of the ship's sensors to detect even the slightly hint of something that might be awry in the area.

But once again…

 _Wham!_

Something slammed into the right side of the _Vladociter_ this time and started yanking it instantly toward the right!

Vlad immediately countered the move while willing forth his teleportation powers yet again.

Once more, he teleported his flying machine out of the invisible harm's way. And yet again, his dizziness increased. But he really didn't want to take the time to search for this newest foe and sloughed it off as some unseen thing that might occur only in this part of the Ghost Zone.

"Maybe there are some invisible mines or traps, which is why no ghost goes out here, then," he surmised as he continued forward.

Little did he know how wrong he was about the reasons why no ghost went that far into the western side of the Ghost Zone and why his flying machine was being attacked.

However, his machine was attacked three more times within the next several minutes. But each time, Vlad was able to teleport it away. And each time, his dizziness increased.

Though the older hybrid was getting both very concerned and angry about this development, he was beginning to wonder whether he should stop and rid himself of this foe. Nevertheless, he commanded his flying vessel to its limit in speed.

After several minutes of no assaults, Vlad thought he might have finally left the 'field of traps'. But then, suddenly, the _Vladociter_ began to buck and inadvertently slow down!

Vlad rapidly inputted commands to speed up again when he finally noticed that the fuel tank was dangerously close to 'empty'! He had brought extra fuel cells, but he would have to manually connect them to the speeder.

And for that, he needed time —which could be very limited if he got attacked again.

He then looked at the beacon signal of the Plasonar Modulator. For the first time, its whereabouts were actually showing up at the edge of the radar monitor; whereas before, it was only a vague signal.

Though he was encouraged about that, there was still the issue of his _Vladociter_ losing power. However, his usually sharp mind was taking more time to decide on a plan because it and his entire body had been overly taxed already from all of that unplanned teleportation trying to avoid all that rigmarole.

 _Bang!_

That blow to his flying machine — which pulled it to a hard stop — was enough to help him decide. He quickly inputted the latest coordinates of the Plasonar Modulator onto his wrist control band before he pressed a button to open the valve to whatever fuel was left and feed the thrusters to try to counter this latest assault.

Even as the _Vladociter_ violently pitched in battle for its freedom, Plasmius unbuckled his seatbelt.

Better to chance flying the rest of the way on his own; that way, he would take a lot less energy teleporting in order to reach the Plasonar Modulator —and hopefully, Skulker — and thwart any plans of his unknown foe to get to him.

The half-ghost lost his balance a little as the speeder continued to play tug-of-war against its opponent. But soon, Plasmius reached the cockpit door, opened it, and immediately flew outward and toward the direction of the Plasonar Modulator.

However, he had no sooner penetrated the Ghost Zone when the _Vladociter_ actually jolted forward in the same direction as he was going and slammed into him!

Knocked for a loop even more than he was still in from all that transporting, Vlad pulled himself off of his flying ship's windshield and tried to shake the dizziness away.

He slightly gasped and reflexively grabbed the windshield when it lunged at him again, actually arched his back in the same direction the machine was going, braced himself, and then rapidly threw it to his right not unlike a matador sweeping his red cape to his side.

The _Vladociter_ whooshed by him before it completely stalled.

But he had not time to think about it because suddenly, he was being zapped by several jolts of black lightning!

The older hybrid resisted the urge to yell under the sting. Instead, and even while he was panting in pain and fighting off his increased wooziness, he reflexively twirled around before encapsulating himself in a pink energy bubble that immediately protected him from the menacing energy. But the resulting aggressive bursts of energy splaying outward against his shield were so bright that he couldn't see past the glare.

But after only a few more moments, Vlad frowned when he could see that his energy bubble was already beginning to crack under the blows.

"Alright, I have to admit that you're a powerful fool, but not for long!" he growled with determination as he summoned his tornado power.

The surge of the intensive cyclone swept his shield and the incoming lightning away all at once.

Vlad panted slightly since he still hadn't fully recovered —but being in the Ghost Zone certainly helped in making up for that since he could essentially osmose energy directly from the Ghost Zone.

Once his tornado energy dissipated and cleared his line of vision, the older hybrid's eyes widened in surprise when he found…nothing!

No ghost, no source of the lightning…Nothing!

"I didn't imagine this!" Plasmius growled in irritation as he scanned all around him.

All of the sudden, he yelled in tremendous pain when he felt a concentration of energy being driven in his back! It was powerful enough for him to see stars before he was vaguely aware that the atmosphere was beginning to darken.

His eyes widen again when a black and purple portal suddenly opened up in front of him, shooting out black lightning as it formed. He instantly teleported away and cursed under his breath when he wasn't able to go as far as he usually could and he was closer to the portal than he ever wanted to be.

But then, as if the portal had just vomited, a thick, glowing and long piece of glowing grey rope suddenly jutted out of it and lunged at the hybrid.

Once again, Plasmius tried to teleport away from it, but his reflex was slow enough for a piece of that glowing grey rope to brush up against and then wrap around his right leg before rapidly creeping up that same leg as if he was a spool for this sticky string, zapping him as it crept upward.

His red eyes suddenly flared in defiance and rage.

"I won't make this easy for you!" he boldly yelled out into the cosmos at his still unseen foe. "And I'm going to make you regret that you ever dared to challenge me!"

In turn, he zapped the webbing off of his leg even as it kept on with its task of wrapping itself around him. But then he gasped. More of that odd rope was thrusting out of that portal and spreading outward, reaching out to him as if there were a clawed hand eager to snatch him! He immediately followed-up with multiple machine-gun-like rounds of ectoplasmic energy all around him as the rope continued to creep toward him.

But then, even more of the rope poured out, and this time, each of the strands were pulsating in black electricity! Several lightning bolts were barely contained within the thick threads as they surged toward the half-ghost.

Still, Plasmius was able to counter them all. Even when Vlad tried to fly out of their way or even teleport, the electrifying ropes blocked his way.

It was the fiercest fighting he had ever done as he continued to fight his way through the growing network of glowing ropes…but at a price, because he was quickly tiring…

 **Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Blackness blended into a dimly-lit greyness as Skulker slowly regained consciousness and struggled to open his eyes.

But when trying to only do that increased the vertigo he was still feeling, he gave into the weight of his body and remained still for several more minutes.

All sort of distorted thoughts flashed in his dulled mind. He didn't understand most of them, but he frowned in dissatisfaction of those that he did. Those more coherent thoughts seemed to taunt, and even haunt, him, because they were the ones that his conscience had been wrestling for several weeks.

He tried to purge himself of those thoughts; but as if they had been along in a tug-of-war with his struggle to clear his head, they were at the moment winning.

But then, he heard a loud noise that somewhat helped to jolt and clear his mind: he definitely was not in _his_ lair!

Skulker was finally able to lift his head and open his eyes when that uproar continued. And he suddenly knew where he was and what had happened to him.

" _But, why am I not in the Oblivion?"_ he gasped only to himself, before he growled the thought away in irritation. " _It does not matter, but all that noise does for the moment!"_

And all of that noise seemed to be coming from the entrance to Ĉasista's lair. And he could hear intermittent crackling and sizzling, as if there was a violent lightning storm not too far from where he was.

Though his vision was still hazy, he first searched for the Guardian. He knew she must have been gone for a long while after she had attacked him because her stench was not as strong at the moment. But for just how long she had been gone, he could not even guess because he had been, of course, unconscious from the last bout of her poison.

In fact, he was still feeling its effects, but he could also tell that he was quickly ridding himself of it.

But then, he caught movement in his periphery and immediately turned toward it and squinted his eyes, trying to make them focus better. All he could make out what he could only describe as some kind a fireworks display, as he could see the reflection of its multi-colored flashes of muted lights dancing along the wall connected to the entrance. Their contorted dance was both hideous and fascinating to him.

The grotesque light show, combined with what he now recognized as Ĉasista's high-pitch cackling, sent Skulker into full alert. He quickly tuned into her boastings…

"A-ha!" The robot heard her say; followed by a 'Yesss!'.

Skulker could tell that the spider was having a good time…over _what_ , he really couldn't care less to know.

But little did he know what _kind_ of sport she was enjoying.

"Oh, clever, but not clever enough!" Ĉasista squealed with the thrill.

"Oh-ho! Good tactic!"

Skulker frowned in confusion when he then heard her grunt, but that was immediately followed by another hideous giggle. She continued in that same pattern of what seemed like work and play at the same time for several more minutes, all the while, the fireworks display continued.

Suddenly, the lightshow extinguished; and the contrast seemed as if a thick, black curtain had shielded the sun from the inside of Ĉasista's lair.

And then, Skulker knew that the spider was returning to this area because he could _smell_ her. But he also heard her much clearer and louder voice utter, "Oh, now that the battle is over, it was much easier than she first thought. Still, it was amusing!"

But before the robotic ghost could think about it anymore, he saw the large, dark frame of the spider surrounded by a diffuse, but seemingly brighter light spread into the cavity that had once been the small hallway leading to the entrance of this place.

Skulker frowned in disapproval at the grotesque grin on the spirit's face as she continued to approach him, while she intermittently glanced at something behind her that was of obvious interest to her.

Finally, she stopped right in front of the Ghost Hunter.

He frowned when all eight of her eyes glanced at him in acknowledgement that he had come to before her face broke out into a hideous gloat. But she didn't comment verbally or mentally to him. Instead, she then turned completely toward the area she had just passed through.

She also purposely skirted a little to his right side so that he would have a clear view of what she was doing.

He could tell that her hind legs had been holding onto some webbing; and that more legs had joined them and were actually in the process of reeling it in just like a fisherman pulling in his catch.

Skulker silently and anxiously looked toward where the end of that webbing would be. He then could see a cocoon-shaped object attached to the webbing, which was now being dragged across the floor of this part of the lair.

Finally, the bulging bundle was near enough for the spider to lift it up and bring it up to her face for what seemed like forever to Skulker. But little did the Ghost Hunter know that she was actually smelling it or pawing at it in a spider-type way. Nevertheless, he kept his robotic eyes fixed on her during her strange examination.

" _Hmm…strange,"_ Ĉasista mused only to herself as her special olfactory organs absorbed the DNA of the ghost within her ĉerko. _"His smell is most unique…and yet, there is another scent about him that is different than…the Skulker."_ She paused before she added, _"And yet, in a strange way, that scent is similar to the unpleasant smell of those creatures to which he also belongs. She shall see, then, what that means in due time."_

Satisfied at the moment of the results of her examination, Ĉasista lifted the ĉerko as easily as if were made of paper. She neared the robotic ghost and glued it on the same wall where Skulker's cocoon was and not more than three feet from his right side.

Once the new cocoon was secured to Ĉasista's satisfaction, the spirit moved between it and Skulker, this time purposefully shielding it from the Ghost Hunter's view.

But Skulker could tell by that same hideous slurping sound that he heard shortly after he had been captured that the spirit must be unravelling the webbing from around what he knew must be her newest victim.

Skulker suddenly felt pity for whatever creature might also be meeting the same fate he would be facing —though he wondered why he hadn't already faced it after the spider had last attacked him.

But his thoughts were interrupted when the Guardian turned around, faced him and practically giggled, "Perhaps Ĉasista should thank you, pet; for in the end, you were the perfect bait!"

Skulker frowned in a mixture of confusion and irritation before she finally pulled away enough for Skulker to see.

The Ghost Hunter gasped in dread when he was looking at an obviously unconscious and poisoned Vlad Plasmius!

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 **[1] I totally made up the name of Vlad's flying machine. I just thought it was too much of a temptation just to call the flying machine a 'Velociter'! *winks***

 **A/N: Well, I'm so glad you made it down here. I certainly hope that you enjoyed the chapter and will type some cheery words in that convenient box just below here. Until next time, dear readers, thanks for your support.**


	12. Chapter 12 Into the Frying Pan

**A/N: Howdy again, everybodee! I'm sorry I'm a bit late this round,um, ahem, just like I was late in posting Chapter 11. And remember that I was late with the last chapter because I was on vacation; and the delay _this_ time is because my **_**beta**_ **was on vacation last week! Just wanted to let you know…*hears crickets* Well, okay, then, but I still think in the end it was a bit apropos to post today, because this is, as you know is…*oh,no!* Friday the 13** **th** **! And as you will see shortly, bad luck is afoot in this chapter! And that is because, as you recall, Tucker had stolen a time medallion and gone into the future. That is not what you would call 'good planning'. But then again, Tucker was a bit overwrought when he made this irrational decision. In fact, I think this is a another case of 'Bad Luck Tuck'! Hahahah, ahem. Well, I thought it was good. In any case, don't forget that disclaimer that I don't own any Danny Phantom characters, even though I do own this plot and the OCs in it! Hope you enjoy the show!**

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Entanglement—Chapter 12 —Into the Frying Pan

Tucker had no sooner propelled himself through Clockwork's Time Viewing Orb's portal when he ended on the ground with a grunt behind a large heap of debris made up of mostly broken pieces of concrete and some twisted metal beams.

He ignored the rapidly evaporating time portal as he pulled himself up and dusted himself off while looking around. He shivered at the sight; while at the same time he unconsciously tucked the time medallion around his neck under his shirt—as if _that_ would brush away the major déjà vu he felt in the hackles of his neck. As far as he could tell, he was in the exact location as he was the last time he had come here. And yet, something wasn't quite right about the place.

The bespectacled teen scanned the area yet again. At least, for now and as far as he could see, he was alone. And yet, he frowned in slight confusion. This place didn't look as war-torn as what he remembered. In fact, where he had landed looked almost like it was made up of _organized_ trash, as if a clean-up crew had already been here and purposely placed the pile of rubbish here. He could even see the fresh tire tracks still in the mostly broken up road.

Was that good news? He could only hope so.

The boy cautiously moved away from the heap and headed to the nearest dilapidated building for no other reason but to…

"Don't have the slightest _solid_ idea on what to do now, huh, dude?" he mentally chided himself as he continued forward and scanned all around him at the same time.

Suddenly, the teen didn't like the fact that not only was there no one else but him here, but that it was also quiet— _too_ quiet. As he continued to slowly walk onward, it really creeped him out that all he could hear was the slap of his boots as they hit the cracked pavement—and that was even with his concentrating to walk softly!

Tucker just as suddenly frowned, irritated with himself. "Just what did you expect, dude? A welcoming party when you got here?"

He suddenly felt a lump in his throat because during the last two times he had been here, there had always been an _un_ welcoming party in this same area. Still, he grunted the lump away in annoyance as he focused back on his mission. "Who cares? This just gives you more time than you thought to, er, sorta plan on what to do. And the sooner you do it, the sooner you can get the heck out of here!"

But as his mind tried to come up with some kind of plan, he didn't know that he was already reflexively reaching into one of his cargo pants' pockets, only to angrily growl under his breath. He had been searching for his futuristic PDA as if it were an extension of his mind! And of course, it had been destroyed— which was why he was here in the first place!

Still, that automatic act actually helped him to focus again. He reached into the pocket of his tan shirt instead and pulled out the smaller, less impressive PDA he had brought with him. He frowned. It just wouldn't do here, but at least if he ended up four notches higher in fear rather than the two he was now in, it would have to do. He quickly slipped it back in.

The dark-skinned boy then reached into another pants pocket and pulled out an ectoblaster that Valerie had lent him. It was a very impressive weapon and he was he glad he had it. After all, he had to be ready for anything since he was essentially searching blindly without his destroyed futuristic PDA.

In any case, he also pulled out a small grey device that his girlfriend had also let him borrow. For the most part, it looked like a stopwatch with several dials on its face and three buttons on its top. It was an inferior version of the Boo-merang, only that he didn't have to throw it to find any ghost. Instead, he had to aim it in any random direction just like a metal detector and hope that it would detect a ghost. But unfortunately, it's range was also more limited than the Boo-merang and, of course, his old PDA's version of the Spook Snoop; but it was all that he had.

Tucker wasn't at all sure if the device would even work well enough in here, even if he was at the right place in Amity Park—the future one, that is. But maybe it still would since he was here only at a very different _time_ , as he had purposely made sure he was _even further_ in the future than the last time he was here…

After all, he really didn't know how much more advanced the ghosts in this future Amity Park were, but he was banking on that they were…

Time seemed to creep slower than the boy's carefully placed footsteps as he pushed forward, stopping every once in a while to aim his rudimentary ghost-detecting device. He hoped against hope that the ghost he _wanted_ to stumble upon would be detected by him first and not the other way around.

" _Yeah, kinda lame for you to expect to run into that ghost, much less have the luck to surprise him, dude,"_ Tucker thought in irritation before he countered, _"But it's too late to care. I had to do_ _ **something**_ _rather than face the fact that I'm actually a_ _ **nobody**_ _now when before I was a_ _ **somebody**_ _holding his own when ghost-hunting with Danny and Sam!"_

The teen felt his face flush and his throat tighten as his mind drifted further into all of the hurt and helplessness he had felt after his futuristic PDA had been destroyed. He could just imagine his friends trying to get him to blow off losing his PDA like all the others, and that thought stung.

But suddenly, those negative thoughts vanished in the next instant when Tucker heard several muffled sounds in the distance between two buildings to his right. He reflexively dove behind another pile of twisted metal and large chunks of concrete before rolling to an upright position again.

The boy tightened his grip around his ectoblaster as he slowly raised up the crude ghost detector to just above the top edge of his cover and toward the direction of the sound—which was growing louder by the millisecond!

He bit his lip even as the sweat that had already formed on his forehead began to trickle downward and burn one of his eyes.

He rapidly blinked away the sting since he didn't dare to try to wipe it off with one of his sleeves since both of his hands were busy and he was afraid to move them from their strategic positions. Besides, he might accidentally knock his glasses off.

Tucker felt his heart begin to race shortly after that when the sounds were loud enough for him to recognized what they were. Ectoplasmic energy intermixed with anti-ectoplasmic blasts were being exchanged! And that only meant that a ghost and some human were fighting!

The teen slowly inched his head upward, hoping to get a glance of which _ghost_ was in that fight and to get a direct line for his little ghost detector to measure its strength.

But the teen hadn't moved enough for his red beret to have cleared the cover of the large chunk of concrete before he hitched in a gasp and shot downward just in the nick of time when one of the aggressive ecto-rays bit into his hiding place. Its impact violently shook the concrete mass.

Tucker reflexively dropped his weapon and detector, threw his hands up and covered his head when several pieces of the concrete from the blast rained down on him. Then, he hurriedly covered his nose and mouth to choke off his coughing in the residual dust.

Fortunately, the dark-skinned boy was unharmed and successful in masking his cough. Not that he really had too, because the warring parties probably wouldn't have even heard his cough since their loud fight was still on. But more than that, it was more than obvious from all that noise that the adversaries weren't just passing through but were actually making a stand just beyond his hiding place!

All Tucker could do in the next several minutes was to hunker down as more of those angry rays ravaged the chunk of concrete shielding him, which sent even more debris on him. Whoever were fighting were also yelling, but the words were very muffled behind this chunk of concrete and all of the blasts hitting it. If this fight didn't end soon, he knew that he would not only be exposed, but he could very well be the next target obliterated!

Burying his nose and mouth into his sleeve to muffle his cough yet again, Tucker frantically scanned the area to either side of this concrete mass. He just had to get out from behind here!

His eyes zeroed in on a large pile of debris that would do; but it also meant that he would have to crawl to and be at least be partially covered by several smaller chunks of concrete that were between him and that larger pile.

 _Wham!_

The next blow to his current hiding place helped him to decide, especially when there was now a very large gap in the concrete and it was beginning to crumble! He grabbed his weapon and ghost detector from the ground and shoved them into a pants pocket. He immediately hit the dirt and quickly crawled army-style, hugging the dirt as he scrambled to his next hiding place, praying that the warring parties wouldn't notice him.

He didn't know how lucky he was that his red-beret was now gray from all of the flying dust and would not betray his position.

After a few excruciating moments later, Tucker was safely behind his new hiding place.

He sighed very briefly in relief because he knew that he was clear enough from the explosions that he could chance scanning the area with his crude detector again.

He bit his lower lip at his next thought. "I sure wish the sensor for this thing didn't need to have a direct line to detect a ghost, but what choice do I have?"

He pulled it out of his pants pocket and slowly pushed it just barely into the open so he could get that accurate reading.

But in the next second, the teen had to jolt his arm back when more blasts shook his hiding place. He quickly glanced at the reading and his heart dropped. Nothing! Obviously, the detector's sensor needed more time!

Now, he knew he was going to have to take a peek at who was fighting whom. He just had to know at least which _ghost_ was fighting. It had to be a powerful one to be countering the human for so long.

This time, the boy pulled out his ecto-blaster from out of his pants pocket and slowly inched around the side of his hiding place. His eyes widened and he hitched in a gasp when the first antagonist he spied was Valerie—the _twenty-nine_ -year-old Red Huntress! She was high up in the air on her hoverboard and shooting downward. And in all that while, she was deftly dodging several purple ectoplasmic rays and easily countering them with her own blasts.

Tucker's eyes darted to the direction of her line of fire and his face fell in disappointment. Valerie was fighting Spectra— _not_ the ghost he had hoped to see!

But then, he gasped.

 _BAM!_

Once again, Tucker had to make a very quick retreat as he pressed his back against the large cement mass just as pieces of debris showered on top of him yet again.

The dark-skinned boy sighed in defeat. Now, he would have to wait here for who-knows-when until this fight was through.

On and on the two female antagonists fought with Tucker having no opportunity to leave the area.

But then, the teen's ears perked up when he heard another, definitely _different_ ray, followed by a painful scream.

Valerie had been hit!

Tucker quickly twisted back toward the once-hidden battle and peeked out of the side of his place of cover yet again. His heart then thumped in excitement when he saw that other ghost who must have come onto the scene— _the ghost he had been looking for_!

And that ghost and Spectra were now a unified force against the human warrior!

Tucker's eyes widened in worry when he could see that the Red Huntress's upper arm was bleeding a little. But he relaxed slightly and knew she must be alright because she didn't stop firing at the two ghosts. Then he tensed up again when his place of cover was now being assaulted from three different angles!

For several more minutes, the threesome fought and for those several more minutes, Tucker got covered with even more debris from his hiding place. Still, he took every chance to see what was happening.

But then suddenly, Valerie yelled again; but this time it was a frantic yell, for even when her hoverboard took the brunt of the blow of one of her foes, it had bucked upward violently with enough force to throw her off of it and backwards.

The Red Huntress fell roughly to the ground and was still.

" _Get up! Get up!"_ Tucker silently and frantically begged Valerie; but when he could see that she wasn't stirring from the high fall and the ghosts were closing in on her, he reacted.

He tightened his grip around his weapon, jumped up and made a dash right to the fallen woman warrior while blasting away at the two ghosts from slightly behind and to their left side. One of his blasts hit Spectra squarely. She was repelled several hundred feet away from the scene before she was plastered against a building before oozing down and ending up in a pile of black goo.

But that other ghost had detected the energy the moment Tucker had pulled the trigger. He merely dodged Tucker's in-coming rays just before he returned fire.

Tucker yelped when a rather large ray intended for him shot past him in a near miss. Still, the teen continued to blast in the general direction of the male ghost as he continued to run toward the still- unmoving Valerie.

Finally, he was close enough to the woman to see that she was finally stirring.

"Valerie! Get up!" he desperately commanded even as he turned back toward the ghost and fired even more.

This time, the boy's random firing finally hit the mark, and the ghost was thrown violently backward before he plowed into the pile of rubble that had been Tucker's first hiding place.

Knowing that he had no time to spare since the woman wasn't stirring enough to actually move, Tucker crouched down and scooped the future Valerie up under her arms and hurriedly dragged her toward another chunk of debris large enough to shield them both. Which was just in time, too, as an ectoplasmic ray immediately slammed into it.

Tucker slung his weapon out from the side of the chunk of concrete and returned fire. He then turned back to Valerie and wasn't satisfied that she wasn't rousing quickly enough. He also he had to yell at her because all of noise being generated by the ectoplasmic attacks on their place of cover.

"Valerie! You have to get up!"

"Oww! And ooh…What happened? What's going on?" the older Valerie groaned as she began to come to.

But Tucker could tell that she was still mostly out-of-it.

Just then, however, the attacking ghost stopped firing!

That unnerved Tucker to say the least, especially when the Red Huntress was still incapacitated. He wanted to check why the ghost had ceased fire, when his curiosity was nipped in the bud:

The barrage of ecto-blasts resumed and was aggressively biting into their hiding place.

Tucker bit his lip. He could tell that there were now _two_ sets of ectoplasmic rays going off—only that they _didn't_ belong to Spectra or just to that other ghost that had come upon the fight between Valerie and Spectra.

"Oh, no! As if two ghosts weren't bad enough! Now I have to worry about one more, even if only two of them are the ones attacking right now. As if that's any kind of relief," Tucker moaned to himself.

After all, he didn't know where Spectra was at the moment. And that just meant he had to hurry. Now desperate, he grabbed Valerie by the shoulders, gently shook her and firmly ordered, "Valerie! Snap out of it! I need your help here!"

This time, that was enough of a jolt to help the woman come to her senses. But when her double-vision cleared, she gasped in disbelief, "Tucker?!...Tucker?! Am I still out?"

She suddenly startled when the large chunk of concrete shuddered from another ghostly blow.

"No, you're not and there's no time!" Tucker frantically yelled. "There are two ghosts attacking us right now and another one out there somewhere! I need your help!"

The woman's eyes widened in comprehension and she immediately took a defensive position, whipping out more weapons as she did.

Once she was ready, Tucker shoved his weapon enough around his place of cover and instantly let loose a barrage of fire toward his spectral foes.

After several minutes of fighting on both sides, with no one gaining any ground, and their hiding place getting piecemealed with every ghostly blow, Valerie yelled above the noise, "We can't stay here! We're just sitting ducks!"

"I'm open for ideas!" Tucker loudly replied before returning fire yet again.

"Where's my hoverboard?" she then asked as she ducked for cover after shooting again.

"Out there between us and them!" he hurriedly answered.

The older Valerie pushed a button imbedded in her wrist band, even when it looked as if it had been damaged in her fall. A few tense moments later, she yelled, "It's not responding to my commands!"

"Open to other ideas," Tucker grimly yelled as he fired another round. "Even though we shouldn't even be able to _get_ any more ideas since I don't know why those ghosts haven't just phased through and offed us by now!"

As the future Valerie continued to try to bypass commands to her hoverboard, she quickly replied, "There's a reason for that, but there's no time to explain! Let's just hope our luck still holds out enough to get out of here!"

Just then, however, both of the humans reflexively dropped their weapons and covered their ears at the intense pressure, noise and pain now being exerted upon them. And at the same time, their hiding place began to quake under the same assault.

Tucker felt his eyes water with the pain. And he felt as if his eardrums were about to burst when, suddenly, all was quiet again.

The teen felt the wind in his face for the first time since this new fight had begun and he gingerly opened his eyes and looked up.

Though the pressure that had been in his ears was enough to make him momentarily deaf, the boy didn't need to hear to see that the evil grin he was glancing at was enough of a message.

"This is worse than losing my PDA!" he barely choked out as he worriedly glanced between the charged-up hands of Evil Dan and Skultech 9.9!

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 **A/N: O.o Now, really, dear readers, did you really expect Tucker to have an easy time once he got here? Nah-uh! But, of course, we'll have to wait and see what happens...And speaking of 'what happened?' Uh, just how did this chapter end up being the shortest one so far for this story? *scratches head in pause and then nods* Well, duh! You _know_ how I just love juicy cliff-hangers; and so, I just couldn't help myself to stop the chapter just when I did! But please don't leave **_**me**_ **hanging and send a little piece of your thoughts on the story in that perfect rectangle down below! (Go ahead, call me a hypocrite- as long as you review! XD) After all, you also know that I won't leave you hanging indefinitely…Thanks for your support!**


	13. Chapter 13 No Time for a Truce

**A/N: YAY! Time to post another chapter! And I can't believe it! We're already half-through this story! Too bad I couldn't have posted Chapter 13 on this past Friday the 13** **th** **, huh? But I couldn't because of all of those vacation delays. But that would have been SOOO cool, wouldn't have it?! *hears crickets* Well, okay, it was just an exciting, unimportant, fleeting, impulsive thought and I went with it. But, anyhoo, I'm still excited about posting! Remember that when we last left Vlad, he had just been captured by Ĉasista. Skulker saw that and now both of the allies are prisoners of the spider spirit. Don't forget the irritating disclaimer that I don't own the DP franchise. Enjoy the show!**

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Entanglement—Chapter 13—No Time for a Truce

"Pssst," Skulker uttered as low as he could so as to keep his voice from echoing.

The Ghost Hunter had seen the spider spirit leave the area and he hadn't detected any whiff or sign of her for quite a while now; and so he thought he could take a chance in trying to get the older hybrid's attention.

True, Skulker was still upset with the man; but at the moment, it wasn't the most logical thing to be since they were both in the same boat of trouble. The ghost knew that they would have to work together to get out of their predicament…And so, he had decided that he could put off being mad at Vlad for another time.

"Pssst….Vlad," he repeated slightly more loudly as he looked to his right at the older hybrid who was just a few feet away.

But, he frowned in worry when he could see that Plasmius's head was still down and he hadn't stirred yet. Obviously, then, the hybrid hadn't yet recovered from the poisonous and electrical effects of Ĉasista's ĉerko.

The cyborg ghost bit his real lip. He would have to be more forceful, which might draw unintentional attention. Still, he had to try. But first…

Skulker drew in a larger whiff of air and scanned all around him. His frown flipped to a slight grin when he was sure that Vlad and he were alone in this area—at least, for now.

"Hey!" the Ghost Hunter said a bit more loudly and stopped a moment when his voice did echo. But when he could see and smell that he hadn't aroused Ĉasista's attention for some unknown, but fortunate, reason, he repeated even a bit more loudly, "Hey, Vlad!"

This time, Skulker tensed in anticipation when he saw the half-ghost's face twitch. But nothing came of it. He grunted in dissatisfaction. He would have to get even more drastic to both try to rouse and get the older hybrid's attention at the same time.

He grumbled under his breath, "As if I have not been trying to get more drastic already!"

He knew, of course, that whenever he was alert enough, he had been struggling with his bonds at every opportunity with one goal in mind: escape from his robotic shell. But it wasn't all that easy. And that was because the sequence for his being able to get out of this robotic suit was even more complicated than his old one. Now he had to activate _two_ buttons on his armband at the same time to engage the auto-eject.

"So much for safety features!" the ghost grumbled under his breath, though he still had to admit that the extra feature prevented any kind of accidental damage or pain to his real spectral body.

Not that it mattered anyway since he couldn't reach either of the buttons on his armband. It also didn't help that he couldn't even manually open the face cover of his robotic head, either, because Ĉasista had jammed the mechanism shortly after she had plopped it back on his robotic body.

So, all he had left was to try to break these bindings…which, obviously, he hadn't been able to do in all of the time he could try. He had already noticed the red aura around his ĉerko that seemed to hum with electricity from the very beginning; and had a hunch as to why it was so unique… He sighed after another fruitless attempt to get to his armband; and for a moment, he doubted he would succeed. But then, he grunted in irritation with himself. It was not in his nature to ever give up! At least his bindings had been stretched out a little by his efforts, even if they quickly firmed up shortly thereafter. It was just a matter of time…which he had precious little of!

Still, the Ghost Hunter pulled against the ropes of his ĉerko yet again. His central core leapt a little in encouragement when he finally felt more of the webbing give to the point that he could slowly slide his left hand over his abdomen. After a few more tugs, he was able to reach his right wristband! That one, unfortunately, didn't have those two 'auto-eject' buttons on them.

Suddenly, however, the bindings tightened even more snugly than before and he could barely move his fingers, much less his hand, any further. He sighed. Though this robotic body made him stronger, his spectral energy still fueled it and those last efforts to stretch the webbing enough to get his metallic hand where it was really drained him for the moment.

Nevertheless, Skulker grunted more as he groped for what he hoped would be the right button when, all at once, he hitched in a yell at the intense pain pulsing throughout his spectral body, saw his ĉerko light up momentarily and then felt even more pain being thrust into him! He didn't have to guess that the initial and secondary jolts were from _his own energy_. And it made absolutely no effect on the webbing that only just re-tightened!

" _Obviously, that is not the plan you had in mind! But then again, what did you expect from groping blindly?!"_ the ghost mentally chided himself, still smarting from the blow and its after-effects —and feeling very, very drained by them.

True, part of him was at least a little thankful that his robot body's powers still worked. But he would never have guessed—unless he had experienced it like he just did—that these sticky bonds would immediately absorb some of his power before reflecting most of it right back at him, only for that residual energy to give him an extra punch, as if to remind him not to repeat it again.

Nevertheless, the cyborg ghost made a weakened effort to pull against his bonds when he could tell that they inexplicably tightened yet again, as if they somehow sensed his resistance. He panted in near exhaustion at this try and paused in thought as he analyzed the situation... Though he was satisfied about his conclusion, it was still a bit discouraging: this webbing was made from _spirit_ energy and it might be just about impossible for a _ghost_ to overcome spirit powers.

But then, he smirked with sudden hope, _"Unless they have_ _ **spirit**_ _energy at their disposal, too!"_

After all, the ghost had acquired one of the Observant's special _spirit energy_ weapons shortly after he had rescued Plasmius from the Observants. And after a lot of work, he had managed to chip a very small piece off of the Timeless Magical gem within that weapon and incorporate it into a new weapon he had added to his cyborg suit. And the button controlling that weapon was on the _same_ armband as the ectoplasmic weapon he just got zapped by a few moments ago!

If he could just reach the button that would release Timeless Magic energy, he might very well be able to actually carve himself out of this ĉerko! And then, do the same with Vlad and get out of this place!

But try as he might, the Ghost Hunter was just too drained to reach those buttons. He would have to wait until he could recoup his energy from his surroundings.

Suddenly, he growled under his breath. He didn't have time to wait! That wicked spirit might be back any moment!

Feeling his energy that he was absorbing from the surroundings strengthened, Skulker tried once more to reach that button that would release the Timeless Magic energy. True, it might hurt if he was wrong again, but he wasn't going to give up yet! He felt the button he had first pushed under his fingertip and grunted as he tried to reach that other button on his wrist band. This time, he felt a concentrated amount of heat around his hands and immediately knew it was yet another wrong button! He hurriedly deactivated it before he could fry himself to a crisp within his cocoon.

The hunter hissed in pain when the reflected heat penetrated his robotic body a few moments later; but at least he knew that the damage was minimal since it had not been on for too long. His sharp eyes then caught sight of a waft of smoke floating upward. Instinctively, he inhaled it so that the spirit wouldn't detect it.

The ghost frowned and narrowed his eyes in irritation…He was back to square one.

But then, he suddenly grinned when an idea popped into his head as loudly as a piece of toast popping from a toaster.

" _Well, then, this is advantage: Skulker!"_ he remarked to himself as he placed his hand around a lever with a dial imbedded in it this time.

The hunter wasn't happy that the lever seemed to be as stuck as the buttons had been. But before he tried to move it, he looked over to Vlad.

"Vlad?" he called out yet again, secretly hoping that he wouldn't have to follow through on his idea.

He snorted slightly when he could see that older hybrid did not stir enough to satisfy him. He then looked around and sniffed the air again. His luck was holding! He couldn't detect the spider spirit! A moment later, he looked at Vlad again and grunted as he turned the dial on the lever and began to pull on it. If the tension was strong enough and if he could…just…get…the angle...right…

 _POP!_

Skulker's small spectral body lurched forward with the slight loss of balance when he had put his weight into the manual switch within his robot's head. He looked anxiously at the older hybrid and ignored the slightly sizzling sound that had begun after that initial 'pop'.

The cyborg ghost then quietly chuckled when he got the response he had been wanting, since his robotic _eyeball_ which the lever had catapulted had precisely hit Vlad's cheekbone—hard!

"Owww!" Vlad emoted in pain, which revved up his mind enough for him to shake off some more of the poison.

When he tried to move and felt his bonds, the older hybrid automatically remembered that whoever his attacker had been when he was looking for Skulker must now be his captor! Even as the he tried to blink the red blurriness out of his eyes and search for his abductor at the same time, he reflexively wrestled against his bonds.

"What the…?" Plasmius grunted when he realized that he was surrounded by a red slightly sizzling aura and that he could not break his bonds with his great strength.

"No use trying, Vlad," Skulker finally said with a low voice loud enough for only the half-ghost to hear. "Those bonds are made out of a rare power and are impossible to break! And ectoplasm doesn't work on them."

Vlad startled slightly at the unexpected voice, but quickly calmed when he recognized it.

The older hybrid turned toward where he had heard the voice and cursed slightly under his breath when his vision was still too blurry to see the Ghost Hunter.

"S-Skulker?" Vlad finally queried, though his voice was raspy from the effects of the poison. But he didn't give the cyborg time to reply as he continued, "Where have you been? And for that matter, where are we? And what do you mean that ectoplasm doesn't work on this rope?"

But the stubborn hybrid didn't wait for Skulker to answer even one of his questions and charged up his ectoplasmic energy under the webbing in spite of what Skulker had said.

In the next instant, however, Plasmius was screaming in pain at getting jolted by his own energy!

"If you had only just listened to me, Plasmius, I would have explained all that I know!" Skulker growled out in irritation at the older half-ghost. "And you would have avoided any more unpleasantries that we are not already experiencing!"

With spots still before his eyes, Vlad readily yielded, "Alright. You have my attention…So, what happened to…us? What is this place and why are we here? Why can't our energy work on these blasted ropes?"

"That is better," Skulker smugly said, purposely ignoring Vlad's questions for the moment.

But then, the cyborg's face grew somber and his voice was intense as he resumed, "We are the unwitting guests of a creature who calls herself 'Ĉasista'…"

"Ĉasista?" Vlad immediately interrupted just as his vision finally cleared. He had never heard of her. "Who or what…"

"I am getting to that if you will just contain yourself!" Skulker hissed back.

Vlad quickly stifled himself. If he wasn't still a bit woozy from Ĉasista's poison, he would have made a snide remark back.

Satisfied that he now had the floor, Skulker privately grinned and continued, "This 'Ĉasista' is a female entity who relishes in confusing her prey by addressing herself only as 'Ĉasista' or 'she'. I am not certain about much more about her, but her foul smell is unmistakably ancient. And her appearance and mannerisms suggest that the legends that some ghosts have told me about her are true. And if they are true, then we are in serious trouble…"

"What do you…?" but the older hybrid clammed up when Skulker glared at him. Still, he couldn't help but add, "And what happened to your eye?"

But when Skulker frowned and his empty eye socket sizzled even more, Vlad stifled himself. "Right. Go on," he almost sheepishly added since he was still dizzy anyways.

Purposely ignoring his last question, Skulker continued, "Some ghosts say that she is a spirit and not a ghost, which makes her extremely dangerous…"

Plasmius couldn't help but interject, "Wait a minute. There's a difference between spirits and ghosts?"

Though Skulker knew that any memories that the half-ghost had of certain spirits had been erased—and must obviously have spilled over to include anything about spirits— he nevertheless gritted and then hissed through his teeth, "Really, Plasmius. Do you not understand the gravity of our situation? Now, let me finish before Ĉasista returns, which could be anytime, especially when I do not know why she is absent!"

Vlad pursed his lips and nodded for the ghost to go on.

Skulker was so irritated at being constantly interrupted that he didn't relish the power he was having over the hybrid. He continued, "Other ghosts claim that she was the first spirit to even have ecto-energy and her power level is unknown." He stopped a moment when he recalled the stench the burned piece of webbing gave off a few minutes ago. Now he knew. He pushed on, "Her kind of spirit ecto-energy is not made up of ectoplasm like our energies are. It is made-up of a combination of _ecto-raseron_ , _ecto-elektro,_ _ecto-fumo_ and _ecto-nuklea_ , which is called _ecto-fandado_ **,[1]** which is almost unheard of."

But when Skulker could see that Vlad was about to interrupt, he impatiently countered him, "I plan to explain that! _Ecto-fandado_ , simply speaking, is like the energy produced by nuclear energy, laser energy, electricity and lightning fused together. Ĉasista is able to actually fuse or manipulate the ions in a nucleus of any element found in all of those energies or in the atmosphere and create an even more powerful force than any of them have alone. This unique power can also absorb _or repel_ any of those energies that contain any of those components, depending on how the wielder creates it. How she can do that, no legend tells, but we both just experienced a small portion of that power in these bindings a few minutes ago when we tried to destroy them…"

"This glowing red energy surrounding our cocoons is the _ecto-fandado_ that can actually absorb and then fuse our own energies with the ions naturally occurring in the elements in the webbing and the atmosphere, which in turn, and unfortunately, repel it back into us at a more powerful level. That could very well make her the most powerful creature I have ever encountered —a creature, though the rarest of all unique creatures, I have no desire or ability to collect."

"But…" Vlad began, only for Skulker to rudely cut him off.

"There is more, Plasmius! She has other dreadful powers. She is more like a spider than any other kind of beast and her venom is very powerful. And, somehow, she can transfer her venom into her webbed traps, which can travel through space and create portals that not only find her prey, but can also incapacitate them…as we both found out."

Plasmius's face puckered in displeasure. He wasn't about to admit that the creature to whom Skulker was alluding had gotten the better of him! In fact, he was growing more irritated with the situation.

When it looked as if Skulker was finished, Vlad finally commented, "Though she will rue the day that she ever accosted me, do you know why she attacked and brought us here? I have never even heard of her, much less have had the opportunity to vex her before now."

Skulker narrowed his eyes in irritation. The older hybrid really had a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that he _wasn't_ the most powerful—or even cleverest— creature in the universe! He tersely replied, "No, I do not know her plans for you, Plasmius. She definitely reeks of plotting on her part and is driven with a sense of purpose, but for what end, she has neither hinted or spoken to what that is. Instead, she has busied herself, apparently, with gathering at least you for these plans."

He then added, "But I know her plans for _me_ , though I do wonder why she has not fulfilled them yet. She wishes to destroy me for invading her realm here…the same one where I had captured the _Angelus_..."

" **The Angelus**? What's that?" Vlad asked with one eyebrow arched.

Skulker didn't answer the hybrid right away. So…Vlad's amnesia from being attacked by the Spectre must be more permanent than he thought…He should explain that since they were in deep trouble...Yet, another part of him didn't want to 'fill the man in' about either of those spirits or any of the circumstances involving his capture of the Angelus several weeks ago.

He paused a few more seconds in indecision before he finally gave into the winning, yet very short, explanation: "The Angelus is just another of the unique creatures you know I pride myself in hunting and capturing. I had discovered it several months ago in this odd realm in which we unfortunately ended up. I did not know until a few days ago when I was captured that this Ĉasista thinks of herself as the ruler of this realm which, by the way, is known as the _Sfero de Ĥaoso,_ which means the'Realm of Chaos'."

" _Realm of Chaos? What an odd name,"_ Plasmius mused only to himself before he indignantly replied, "She can think all she wants about that because I don't care. She had no right to bring me here if her quarrel was only with you!"

"I told you already that I do not know what she wants with you, Plasmius!" Skulker slightly growled. He couldn't help but feel the sting that the hybrid seemed to care only about his own hide and not that he, his _supposed friend_ , was also in trouble —even 'if her quarrel was only with him'!

But before Skulker could comment any further, the older half-ghost added, "Still, even though I don't like how I ended up here, I might have not been able to find you if something hadn't happened to the Plasonar Modulator."

Skulker's forehead furrowed in confusion before he replied, "The Plasonar Modulator? What does that have to do with all of this? Ĉasista destroyed it."

"That was obvious because it only emits that tracking beacon if it had been lost, damaged or destroyed," Plasmius explained.

That information actually irked rather than intrigued the cyborg. It was yet another one of Plasmius's secrets that he didn't trust him with —like so many others.

Plasmius inadvertently interrupted the robotic ghost's thoughts, "But that is beside the point. All I wanted was to find you; and so, she had no right to assume I was here to make trouble. But since she started the trouble anyways, I won't give her the pleasure to keep you here, either. So then, we'll just have to figure out together how to get out of this mess."

Skulker smiled only to himself this time. They were still friends no matter the friction that had been between them before. Still, he kept his voice steady to hide his emotions as he replied, "Agreed. The problem is…"

But suddenly, the two allies had to squint their eyes at the very bright light that had just as suddenly illuminated the darkness within the hallway leading to the outside of the spider spirit's lair and poured into the main part of the lair. Their eyesight adjusted shortly afterward and they could see that the light turned out to be a much duller glow—it was just that in this extremely dark lair, practically any light would seem like a floodlight at first.

At least Skulker frowned in irritation when a moment later he could see the huge body of Ĉasista emerging from the hallway like a cork coming out of bottle.

Shortly thereafter, a high raspy voice said in obvious amusement, "Ah-ha. Ĉasista ssees that her pets have been entertaining themselves while she tended some of her duties."

Several of her insectoid eyes examined each of the ghosts at the same time and immediately noticed Skulker's missing eyeball. Another set of her eyes quickly spied the robotic orb on the ground just below where Vlad was hanging.

The spider picked up the robotic eye and twirled it lazily between the claws on one of her forelegs before she lifted it up and remarked, "And she can also see that you have been experimenting as well as entertaining yourselves—unless, this was a misfortunate event that was not planned, eh, pets?"

Neither of her captives said a word.

Both amused and irritated with them, she glided over to Skulker and lifted up the inactive eyeball to his eye level.

"Does this belong to you, pet?" she teased.

"As you said," Skulker began with a tense jaw, "It was 'a misfortunate event that was not planned.'"

The spider looked at him in curiosity this time. What an odd ruse. He didn't seem the type of _Malofta_ that would admit failure. Still, she thought she would humor him. "Oh, Ĉasista sees that she was also misfortunate to think that a hunter as clever as you would never have accidents of this nature."

She privately smiled when she could see that her comment irritated the ghost. Still, she continued without emotion, "But if she sees another error such as this one, it will be most unfortunate."

Though Skulker wasn't amused, he said nothing to counter her. After all, he didn't know why she hadn't followed through on that 'unfortunate' threat already by now.

But then, Ĉasista sloppily plopped Skulker's renegade eyeball back into its socket before she remarked, "For now, Ĉasista will not waste any more time with you, pet."

A few of her eyes glanced over to Plasmius as she spoke. She could tell that he was studying her as much as she was him. Hmm, he must be a much more careful ghost than this one; otherwise, why hadn't he said anything to her yet? But then again, she shouldn't be surprised. After all, he wasn't a level-nine ghost just because of his ghostly strength—even though, all of that was yet to be seen...

And the spider was definitely right! Plasmius had been studying her since she had entered her lair. And now that he had gotten got a good look — and whiff — at her, he felt his core constrict at the mere size of the creature and the fact that his special power to detect another ghost's power level had failed him for the first time. Skulker was right! Her power level fluctuated so wildly — but never below a 'level nine' — that it _was_ unmeasurable. He was also glad that Skulker had told him that little detail about how she addressed herself. He might have been more likely to ask about that other creature she had seemed to have been talking about! Suddenly, he swallowed more thickly than he wanted to admit when the look she had just given _him_ had sent momentary dread up-and-down his spine. Still, he was determined not to let her get the better of him!

But Ĉasista headed him off before the half-ghost could throw his bravado at her. "Though Ĉasista has been amused, all else can wait until her task is done. But that wait will not be for long as she can now detect the other…"

But then, she paused and sniffed the air a moment. No, she suddenly felt not one, but _others_. She smiled to herself when her powers confirmed the odor she had sampled. Now she would easily locate them.

She then looked at Vlad and she frowned in slight confusion as she regurgitated some glowing, black slime that had once been a piece of Vlad's aura. Odd…as she savored it, she thought that… _that_ taste had been unique. But what she had just smelled denied that because that scent—though, oddly, _very_ similar to the ghost—was, more importantly, very, very intense and much more powerful than he…. Nevertheless, her hunger threw the thought aside and she emoted through wet insectoid lips, "Now iss the time!"

In the meantime, Skulker had reconnected his robotic eyeball to its head, only to be just in time to have both of his eyes widen in a mixture of astonishment and dread. He didn't notice that Vlad's eyes also widened at the spectacle.

Ĉasista's face contorted creepily. And almost immediately after that, the creature's fat body suddenly twisted in a grotesque kind of spasm just before several glowing red threads shot out from several spinnerets located on her abdomen. Her eight legs caught onto all of them as deftly as a baseball catcher.

If Vlad wasn't so worried about what the creature was planning, he would have been fascinated with the spirit creature's deft way of intricately weaving the several thin strands together until a thick rope of black webbing was made. But he could see that the spider wasn't finished, for the cord quickly lengthened and fell in an orderly heap right next to her. And as the webbing elongated, the glow around it intensified.

But then, Vlad had to squint his eyes once more when several bolts of black electricity seem to come right from the walls of the lair and seemed to attack the dense webbing. The sticky, thick now greyish-black rope sparked and glittered as the electricity impregnated itself into it. Vlad had a feeling that the result was definitely an example of 'the whole greater than the parts' like Skulker had said.

Vlad was now more enthralled with rather than worried about the process. He then wondered if he could meld electricity into ectoplasm to make his rays more powerful! True, his electrical power was strong, but he had to leach out and then concentrate electrons directly out of the atmosphere. And true, Skulker had said Ĉasista's power wasn't made up of ectoplasm. But really, the concept seemed similar: if he could create his electrical powers _after_ first charging up his ectoplasmic energy in his hands, the possibility of a more powerful ectoplasmic beam would be stupendous! When he got out of this mess, he would definitely experiment with that...

He then could see that the spider seemed satisfied with the length of her now greyish-black glowing webbing because she had stopped. He had no clue that she only made this special type of webbing for very special ghosts…

One of the older hybrid's eyebrows shot up in interest when the spider began to shoot out more red threads again, only instead of making more cords, she looked as if she were more involved in a macramé project rather than simple rope-making. But then, he could see that she ended up with a very dense cocoon-like pouch made of webbing before she seemed to vomit black glowing slime over it. But the glowing black stuff quickly leached into the pouch, also turning it the same color as the thick pile of webbing still at the creature's feet. Finally, Ĉasista drew even more electricity from the surroundings and threw it into the cocoon until it sizzled with energy. Little did the man know that he had just witnessed Ĉasista's making another of her ĉerkos similar to the one which had captured him!

Vlad was mesmerized by the spectacle, especially when the spider spirit connected the pouch to the large pile of webbing before she wrenched the unit upward. With a quick snap of one of her forelegs, the webbing and ĉerko were spinning high above her head.

All the while, Vlad heard Ĉasista cackled as loudly as the crackling sparks within her webbed lariat. She suddenly howled when, inexplicably, a portal opened! The spider didn't hesitate to flick the ĉerko upward and then jerk it quickly downward toward the portal, as if it were a yo-yo—only this 'yo-yo' flung far and wide and would not return until it had succeeded in doing its mistress's command.

Ĉasista scooped up the end of the pile of rope-like webbing at her insectoid feet even as the rest of the sticky braid was quickly unraveling itself into the portal. She quickly tightened her grip on this end of the webbing, crouched down on her legs, and waited…

During this entire time, meanwhile, Skulker had long recovered from his initial reaction to the spider's doings. Instead, as he continued to watch, any emotion in his face was unreadable. But underneath, he grew more apprehensive, since he did not doubt that Ĉasista was wielding doom….

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 **[1] Esperanto meaning, respectively: laser, electricity, lightning, nuclear energy and fusion.**

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 **A/N: Well, it certainly doesn't look good for our two allies, huh? But whom is Ĉasista now after, hmm? In any case, please share your wonderful thoughts with me in that convenient little box below. Until next time, dear readers!**


	14. Chapter 14 Complications of Plans,Part1

**A/N: Wow and whew, everbodee! I didn't think that this chapter would be finished in time for tonight's posting because my beta wasn't perfectly happy with it until the last 'burning the midnight oil' round. And when she's not happy, I'm definitely not happy. And because of all the banter we had over it (which is actually quite entertaining in and of itself), I think I should tell you something VERY IMPORTANT about this chapter. This is sort of an AU chapter. It takes place five more years into the future of the TV episode, "The Ultimate Enemy"; and, it has some unanswered questions in it that I will save for another time (story?) because the bottom line is that what happens in this chapter is pertinent only to this story. I didn't intend for this chapter to have so many unanswered questions; but I also thought the background of what will unfold was important to this story. If I get enough of y'all asking those same unanswered questions as my beta, then I might seriously consider writing another story that will go in depth about those questions. But for now, I just hope you can suspend some belief and roll with it as it is….Also, if you haven't read my story "His Own Worst Enemy" (and please do and review!), you will be very confused about this chapter as well…which, therefore, calls for a very quick spoiling re-cap of that story: In my Dannyphandom, Evil Dan escapes from the Fenton thermos in that story and tries to destroy Danny in Danny's present-day timeline—which, of course, is still Evil Dan's past. But in the process, there's a human/ghost war that Dark Dan ignites using ecto-radium to poison and destroy ghosts and conquer humans through the use of slave/poisoned ghosts. *sighs* Now, time to change wavelengths. I would like to dedicate this story to Lisa (you know who you are) who is celebrating her birthday today! You are awesome! In the meantime, I do not own the DP characters, but I own this plot and its OCs. Enjoy the show!**

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Entanglement—Chapter 14—Complications of Plans, Part One

"Well, well. Lookey who we have here!" twenty-nine-year-old Dark Dan snidely sneered just as he grabbed Tucker by his collar and easily pulled the teen up to eye level.

Privately, the wicked ghost was curious as to why the teen-from-the-past was here, especially when five more years had elapsed in his timeline. But Danny's future evil's self wasn't about to let on.

Tucker yelped in alarm before his cry was choked off at the sudden pressure around his neck. He immediately reached up and tried to pry off the ghostly hands, but to no avail. His face was also flushed with the uncomfortable feeling of having his footing literally knocked out from under him.

"And, look: another invader!" the Skulker-half of Skultech 9.9 growled as he easily grabbed and restrained Valerie.

"Invader?" Valerie immediately growled back as she struggled against the robotic ghost. " _You're_ the invaders!"

Still holding onto Tucker, Evil Dan floated over to Valerie. But then, he put the boy down next to the woman and unconsciously released Tucker's collar enough for him to breathe. The boy struggled to stifle his impulse to gulp in air even as he continued to pull on the ghost's hands to fully release him.

In the meanwhile, Dark Dan ignored the boy's paltry efforts and smirked at Valerie in anticipation. He was going to enjoy this as much as he had in the past five years. He reached over and lightly caressed Valerie's face. As he expected, she instantly pulled away, and he almost chuckled, "Tsk-tsk, 'sweetheart'. That blow to your pretty head must be worse than you thought. Just look around you!"

Valerie's eyes immediately darted to the left and right of the ghost in front of her and a moment later, her eyes widened.

"We're in the _Spektra_ **[1]** Sector!" she gasped.

" _Spektra_ Sector?" Tucker gasped in both fear and confusion. Even though he had no idea what she meant by that, the way she said it was definitely a reason for him to be afraid.

But Valerie didn't answer him.

Instead, the woman lunged at Evil Dan; and even though Skultech 9.9 effectively controlled her, she gritted her teeth, defiantly glared at the more powerful ghost, and seethed, "With the way you run this place, 'big boy', the borders change all of the time! And I didn't know I was in your turf until right now! If you had made sure to keep your minions out of _my_ turf, I wouldn't have been too busy to see where I was driving them to in the first place!"

"Well, then, you should have paid _closer_ attention to detail, 'beautiful'," Danny's alternative self said with faux sweetness even as he kept a firm hold on Tucker and pulled him closer to his front. "Something I think you are usually exquisite in doing."

Valerie said through gritted teeth as she continued to struggle against Skultech 9.9, "It won't happen again, 'hot shot'. You know I wouldn't have been that sloppy."

Meanwhile, Tucker listened to the two in confusion. What were they talking about? And for that matter, _why_ were they even talking _at all_? And what was this 'sweet talk' between them all about? Obviously, then, that things had _definitely_ changed since he had last visited the future Amity Park. But then again, he had purposely come here _five years further_ into the future for that _other_ purpose.

The teen was about to ask what was going on when he was jerked around so that he was now facing Evil Dan. He felt chills running up-and-down his spine as he peered into the ghost's stern glowing red eyes.

Though Phantom never took his eyes off Tucker, he still only addressed Valerie, "I'll deal with you in a moment, goddess. But what I really want to know is why this runt is here!"

He shook the boy and demanded, "So, shrimp, why are you here? Did that little twerp of my younger-self send you? Though I can tell from your height that he must also be a little older but still no wiser!"

Though terrified, Tucker puckered his face in determination and said nothing.

"Oh, so you think that 'brave act' is enough?" Dan challenged. "Well, not here, dweeb! Spill it!"

"Uh, uh…" Tucker stammered in fear. He wasn't being brave at all. He just really couldn't explain why he was here in the first place because no matter what he said, they wouldn't believe him.

But the wicked ghost didn't wait for an answer. While maintaining a tight hold on the human boy, he quickly began to inspect the boy's pockets.

Tucker twisted in a vain effort to keep the ghost out of his pockets. In the next moment, however, the evil ghost was pulling out his ghost detector and his…old PDA!

With one quick, effortless squeeze, Danny's alternate-self pulverized those items within his hand as if he were merely popping soap bubbles.

Phantom then just as easily twisted Tucker around so that his backpack was facing him.

Though Tucker was momentarily relieved that the ghost had stopped searching his pockets, he quickly yelped in protest and tried to pull away again when Phantom tore open his backpack.

"Oh, I see that you didn't come here with the most innocent of intentions," the ghost mocked as he threw all of the weapons that Tucker had put into in his backpack down at the boy's feet.

Tucker swallowed hard.

"Let's see what else is in here…" Dark Dan began, as he resumed rummaging through the backpack some more.

Phantom then easily twisted the teen back around so that the boy could see and he said with a sneer, "Oh, now I see why you came here, chump!"

Tucker's eyes widened as he gasped in shock.

Danny's older-alternative-self was holding up _two more_ of Clockwork's time medallions!

"How-how d-did they get in there?!" Tucker blurted out in all honesty. The boy was distressed to say the least.

Suddenly, Phantom laughed heartily, "Ha-ha! You _don't_ know, do you, twerp? Must be that you were definitely played for the chump that you are. Obviously, you were sent here just to deliver these to _me_ and Skultech from that old man Clockwork after all! So, what is that conniving Old Weasel up to?"

"No! I mean, I don't know!" Tucker cried out in a panic, "Clockwork didn't send me….he doesn't even know I'm here! And I don't know how those things got into…"

The panicked teen suddenly stifled himself. The time medallions must have fallen into his backpack when he had stumbled into their case at Clockwork's Room of Chronology! He gulped in dread at what this could mean. Now, he wished he had never come here to try to get another PDA from Skultech!

But his thoughts were interrupted by the powerful ghost still holding him, "Oh, come now, twerp, you can do better than that! I would think that you would have grown more of those techno-brain cells by now!"

Tucker didn't know what to say, but then, Valerie angrily piped in, "So, obviously, then, 'Ace', the kid never thought it through and so all of this is a big mistake!

"Oh, don't you worry your pretty little head over that. I might now have new plans now that I have these," Phantom said, patting the time medallions. "Just think. I might go back and re-write a little bit of history myself with these little things."

"Y-You c-can't do that!" Tucker stammered.

"And that isn't part of the deal, and you know it, Phantom!" Valerie growled.

Danny's alternative-self frowned in irritation. But before he could reply, he tightened his hold on Tucker's collar and jerked the teen down to the ground just as he released him.

Tucker, in turn, fell onto his face and spit out the dirt he had just kissed. But when he tried to get back up, Evil Dan shoved him back down with his foot and pinned him to the ground.

Phantom motioned for Skultech 9.9 to bring the woman closer to him. He then gently caressed her face once again and chuckled slightly when she pulled away yet again as he said, "And how would that 'deal' apply to me in this case, 'sweetheart'?"

She answered through gritted teeth, "I can't believe I have to refresh your memory about all of this, 'Romeo'."

Tucker spit out some more dirt and grunted in confusion. Just why did these two throw around those endearing pet-names at each other when they obviously weren't the best of pals? Still, he couldn't help but listen in—especially when he had no choice at this point since he was still in a helpless position.

"Do tell, Red," Evil Dan said in fake sweetness, though at the same time, encouraging her to go on.

And then, the Red Huntress proceeded to indirectly 'tell' Tucker about what caused all of this… change— which actually happened about two years earlier in the teen's timeline, but was actually _five_ years earlier in _this_ timeline, shortly after Clockwork had sent her back into the future after the Poisoned Ghost War… **[2]**

 _The twenty-four-year-old Red Huntress was on patrol in Amity Park as usual. She was careful not to fly too quickly so as to keep a close look out all around her. After all, she didn't want to accidentally fly into any of her ghostly enemies…_

 _As she flew along, she couldn't help but notice that it was still quiet…too quiet…like it had been for several days now. She knew the reason: Evil Phantom was gone…She really couldn't deny it for several reasons, especially that most important one._ _ **She**_ _had been responsible for the evil ghost's having been given a lethal dose of ecto-radium in the past at an Amity-Park-that-looked-foreign-to-her during that alternate-universe war. So, he must have been destroyed in that dimension after all. She couldn't be certain of course, since Clockwork had sent her back to her timeline before she knew what had finally happened to the wicked ghost. That uncertainty had been an uncomfortable pit in her stomach ever since then, too._

 _But still, she couldn't deny how quiet everything had been here in Amity Park since that encounter. After all, she was certain the wicked ghost wouldn't miss his favorite sport of regularly ravaging and terrorizing her town right now by himself or with some of his goons if he had somehow survived being infected with ecto-radium and—more importantly—_ _ **if**_ _he had somehow been able to return here if he had survived._

 _She paused. She would have rather known that he had indeed gone to the oblivion; but she couldn't dismiss the possibility that he had somehow survived. After all, he was from_ _ **this**_ _universe, so maybe being poisoned by ecto-radium in that other dimension wouldn't actually permanently harm him…_

 _She knew, of course, that it was lame thinking on her part. But she couldn't shake the nagging feeling that Dark Phantom had wormed his way out of even that._

 _She paused again. And there was still the matter of its being too quiet here. She really couldn't believe that there wouldn't be other ghosts around who wouldn't want to take advantage of Phantom's being gone...Even though she had to admit that it could mean what she had always suspected: that Dark Phantom_ _ **had**_ _been the supreme leader of the Ghost Zone, even when he had power enough for all the destruction he had done without the need for any ghosts. And if that was indeed true, then maybe the ghosts were regrouping and trying to figure out what they should do from now on…_

 _She frowned, unconvinced. Maybe that evil ghost_ _ **was**_ _able to get back; and he and his goons were just off attacking another world somewhere until he had brought them to their knees as he had pretty much had done to the humans even before he got into that earlier alternate dimension. That thought fueled not only her hatred for Evil Dan and her desire for his having succumbed to ecto-radium poisoning, but also her discouragement. She always had the gnawing feeling that it would have been just a matter of time before the human race would have become slaves to the wicked ghost and his minions. But she knew that she would rather die at the evil ghost's hands than to be his slave…_

 _She paused when it seemed as if the wind rushing past her ears had suddenly blown that discouraging thought out of her head and brought her back to reality of..._

 _Silence._

 _Right now, the utter emptiness of life was so foreign to her that it made the hair on the back of her head crawl. It reminded her of that other brief period of time that seemed like eons ago when there was a similar uncomfortable quietness around Amity Park. It was around the time when, oddly, the_ _ **teenage**_ _Danny Phantom and who she thought at first were the ghosts of Sam and Tucker had come from the past and into her timeline. And she still couldn't quite wrap around her head about seeing Sam and Tucker alive then. But it didn't matter because there had been a fight and then it seemed as if Evil Dan had destroyed them after all. And then, when she tried to find out if that was what had happened, she discovered that not only had the teens of the past disappeared, but so had Evil Dan..._

 _Little did she know that the older Phantom had actually gone back into the past to try to guarantee his future before he had been defeated by his younger-self and locked up in one of the Fenton's thermoses for months and months inside Clockwork's castle. And not too long after that, he had escaped from the thermos and tried to waste the same younger-self and take over the world ten years earlier…_

 _But she knew that the older Phantom had failed yet again; and in the process, the fight between him and his younger alternate-self had ultimately erased some of time before she had infected him and hopefully sent him to his doom. But maybe he hadn't succumbed. Maybe he had been sent back to his timeline, where he was planning to resume his terror in revenge on what she did to him!_

 _Maybe, then, this current lull in the destruction might be another of his many tricks to catch her off-guard! So, all that was important right now was for her to keep alert and count her blessings that Phantom had been gone for several days and so was not terrorizing the citizens for some inexplicable reason. But yet again, she had another nagging feeling that this kind of uneasy peace_ _ **was**_ _one of his many tricks._

 _She threw that thought away. She still had to finish her patrol…_

 _But as she flew on without running into_ _ **him**_ _—or any of his minions_ _ **—**_ _she switched to her binocular vision and continued to scan all around her. Nothing was smoldering in decay like it usually was for sometimes days after Dark Phantom had destroyed it._

 _After a couple of hours, however, it was becoming clearer and clearer to her that Phantom_ _ **was**_ _gone._

 _But then, she came to a sudden halt on her hoverboard and raised her hand up to shield her eyes as a bright beam of light flashed before her. She could barely make out through her squinted eyes that a very odd…portal was opening!_

 _Though she had never seen a portal like that—one that was made up of purple ectoplasmic energy and spun wildly like a fast-ticking clock —she quickly prepared herself to do battle! After all, she reflexively thought that Phantom could be behind what looked like a trap, since he was so good at devising very clever ones, like making himself look like a kid._

 _Still, she focused, raised her weapon and trained its sights on the portal. A split second later, a ghost materialized just before the odd portal disappeared not even a heartbeat later._

 _It was Dark Phantom!_

 _She cocked her ecto-blaster, her finger itching to pull the trigger, when she suddenly paused and frowned in total confusion._

 _ **He was weeping?**_ _Evil Dan Phantom, the terror of the entire planet, was crying?!_

 _But she snapped out it almost immediately afterward. He had survived the poisoning!_

" _You_ _ **did**_ _worm out of it and so this is just another dirty trick!" she said through gritted teeth as she looked through her sight and fired._

 _Dan Phantom yelled in pain as the point-blank angry ecto-shot that dug into his ghostly flesh forcefully pushed him back at the same time._

 _Quickly pushing all sorts of command buttons, Valerie hurriedly raced after him while launching several anti-ghost grenades she and her father had devised just for Phantom._

 _All of them made contact and Phantom was swallowed up in smoke and a powerful bubble of anti-ecto-energy. He screamed in more pain._

 _Valerie anxiously hovered in place and kept her guard up as she waited for the cloud to clear. She re-cocked her weapon and wrapped her finger around its trigger._

 _Finally, the smoke cleared, but Phantom was gone!_

 _The twenty-four-year-old Valerie gasped in dread and violently jerked her head in all directions._

 _Before she knew it, she felt pressure around her throat before her foe reappeared floating right in front of her!_

 _But instead of trying to yank his hands from around her throat—even when she hadn't noticed that he was not actually squeezing it—the girl warrior pulled the trigger on the weapon she still managed to hold onto._

 _Evil Dan was riveted away from Valerie yet again. He screamed in pain as he reflexively cradled his wounded abdomen before he crashed to the ground in an area with a lot of debris and rubble._

 _Valerie immediately banked her jetboard downward and raced after him, quickly re-loading her blaster with another very wicked-looking big missile meant to destroy this evil ghost._

 _As she narrowed the space between them, she could plainly see that he had yet to recover from her last assault. In fact, he was still cradling his abdomen, which was heavily leaking ectoplasm out. Good! She just needed to get a few more feet closer and it would be enough for the missile to unleash its full force on him and obliterate him!_

 _But when she was within speaking range, her heart constricted slightly in conflict when the evil ghost lifted one of his bloodied hands up in what looked like surrender._

" _N-NO! D-Don't shoot!" Phantom barely was able to say since he was obviously struggling with getting that out._

" _Forget it, ghost!" she growled back as she reached for the trigger. "I won't fall for any of your tricks this time!"_

 _Valerie's eyes widened in surprise when instead of forming a ball of ectoplasm in counter-attack, the evil ghost just let that hand drop to his side. She could then see that his other hand was still trying to dam a gaping hole in his abdomen with ectoplasm still leaking out all around him. And unbelievable still! Spectral tears were still falling from his face!_

" _Just as well that you got me," the ghost sadly sighed really to himself than to Valerie. "Just make it quick, then!"_

 _Valerie's face puckered up in total confusion._ _ **Evil Dan was admitting defeat**_ _?!_

 _But the woman could not have known that Phantom had just phased back into their timeline several days after having his afterlife spared by none other than the younger version of himself after curing him of the black shadow decay. The evil ghost's psyche had been shaken to the deepest part of his core at the shocking blow from his younger self's mercy; and he didn't know how to deal with it. At the time of his return—which was when the Timeless Magic surrounding him had faded— he had been psychologically defenseless; and so, even Valerie's attack the moment of his arrival wasn't enough to get him out of his funk—even if his survival instincts did manage a weak counterattack. But even that had not been enough to save him from suffering a serious wound from Valerie's aggressiveness._

 _Valerie was still in a bit of shock because she still hadn't pulled the trigger._

 _Now, Phantom was irritated at her hesitation and the fact that yet again, he was under someone else's mercy!_

" _Well," he growled through his grunts of pain, "What are you waiting for, Valerie? Destroy me while you have the chance!"_

 _For once in his existence, Danny's alternate-future-self couldn't even make himself shoot her at this point. In fact, his physical blow compounded his psychological one and the pain of both only made him more aware that his last encounter with his younger self had awaken his long-ignored…conscience._

 _Valerie's throat tensed a bit more before she started to squeeze the trigger. After all, this ghost had done so much evil and deserved to die…and he was too dangerous to hold as a prisoner. She_ _ **should**_ _finish off what she had started._

 _Suddenly, however, Valerie gasped and recoiled reflexively when a beam of green ectoplasm struck from behind and grazed her left arm._

" _This_ _ **is**_ _a trick, you jerk!" she yelled through her own cry of pain as she turned toward her new foe and quickly fired._

 _But her shot went wild; and that same attacker fired again, this time knocking her off of her jetboard._

 _However, Valerie tumbled like a gymnast with the momentum until she ended up on her knees with her ecto-blaster poised and ready. She aimed and fired at Evil Dan this time!_

 _But just before her powerful projectile could make contact, another green ectoplasmic beam intercepted it and it exploded a few feet from the still-injured Phantom._

 _However, the remnants of that explosion were able to reach their originally intended victim and Evil Dan screamed in more pain as his ecto-flesh was rented yet again._

 _Valerie, meanwhile, while hearing that her latest blow had hit its mark, didn't wait to see it because she was already swinging into action against the other offending ghost._

 _Commanding and then jumping on her jet board as it obediently whooshed toward her, her eyes narrowed on Skultech 9.9 as she shot a powerful missile at him._

 _Skultech, in turn, fired back his own deadly projectile; and both missiles hit head on._

 _The force of their impact repelled both Valerie and Skultech away from each other._

 _Valerie was the first to recover and seeing that Evil Dan hadn't even attempted to get off of the ground yet, she quickly soared right up to him and pointed her ecto-blaster right at him before she quickly produced another weapon and aimed it at the fast-approaching Skultech._

" _Back away, spook, or else your master here is history!" she growled seriously in threat._

" _He is_ _ **not**_ _my master!" the Skulker-part of the robotic ghost growled back before he yelled, "Now's your chance, Phantom!"_

 _Whether the evil ghost refused to attack for some odd reason or couldn't fight because of his wounds didn't matter to Valerie. She cocked both of her guns; but before she fired, Dan said, "Stand down, Skultech!"_

 _Valerie glanced at the injured ghost in disbelief! Did she hear him right?_

 _However, that slight distraction was Skultech's advantage and he soared right at the woman!_

 _But Valerie heard him and shot out the robot's rockets just in the nick of time._

 _Skultech tumbled out of control and Valerie gasped when she realized it was too late for her to avoid the robotic ghost._

 _He plowed right into her!_

 _But even as they rolled in a melee on the ground, Valerie still managed to hold onto her weapons. In the next split second when girl and ghost stopped in a heap, it was Valerie kneeling on top of the robot with each gun aimed right between Skulker's robotic eyes and between Technus's eyes in the robot's abdomen. And all of them were very close to Evil Dan._

" _And I don't have to tell you that this works even when you're invisible or intangible," she growled in threat before she hitched in a gasp._

 _Much to her dismay, she quickly saw that Skultech had also managed to hold onto his weapon and it was pointed right at her! "And I might say the same thing, too, human!" he countered._

 _Both warrior and robot paused in hesitation, each fully aware of their 'Mexican stand-off'._

" _I said, 'Stand down, Skultech'!" the older alternate Phantom commanded yet again just before he started coughing._

 _The Technus-part of Skultech whined, "But we have the humans' greatest warrior at our mercy!"_

" _As if you know what that means!" Valerie seethed through gritted teeth, ignoring her sweaty palms as she tightened her hold on both of her guns in readiness. "But I would say that we both have the advantage and disadvantage right now!"_

 _Suddenly, however, all four foes heard a noise in the distance._

 _Valerie smiled only to herself. That must be some of the other human ghost hunters she had reflexively alerted after she had initially encountered Evil Dan after he had left that odd portal! Her cavalry was coming! But they couldn't get here soon enough with the situation she was in._

 _Dark Dan, meanwhile, could also tell that human reinforcements were on their way and he was completely defenseless! And suddenly, all he wanted to do was survive!_

" _Skultech," he insisted, "I'm in no condition to help you and I actually need your help right now. So…."_

 _But Valerie hotly interrupted him, "You're wrong, Phantom! You definitely won't get Skultech's help if I destroy him right now! In fact, you all are doomed once the other humans get here! So, give it up!"_

 _Skultech, however, growled in threat, "And if Phantom dies, you will be doomed, too! Surrender, human! Now!"_

 _Nevertheless, none of the dueling parties made a move to suggest either surrender or action._

 _But then, suddenly, Valerie re-directed her aim to Evil Dan and kept her aim steady on the Technus-part of Skultech while keeping her eyes locked on Skulker._

" _You do not scare me, human," the Skulker-part dryly said._

" _That's because she's aiming at_ _ **me**_ _, you dolt!" the Technus-part whined. "And if she bumps me off, you know you'll be the sitting turkey you'll then deserve to be! So, watch it!"_

 _A brief yet intense moment of silence descended upon the foursome, each of them knowing that if any of them made a false move, there would be nothing left for the advancing humans to do._

 _But then, Phantom groaned while trying to move. He immediately stopped when it was useless and said with a hint of a sarcastic bravado in his voice, "Look, 'sweetheart', I'll make a deal with you…"_

" _What? A deal? Since_ _ **when**_ _have you made a deal with anyone but other ghost scum like this one, huh, 'loverboy'?" Valerie sarcastically replied while motioning slightly to Skultech 9.9 while indirectly letting Dan know that she knew that Skultech was his closest ally._

" _Hey!" Technus objected._

 _But Dark Danny didn't deny or confirm what she had said. He would never admit that his Vlad-ghost side and the Skulker part of Skultech were still…friends as well as allies._

 _However, without losing sight of the others, all four briefly tune into their peripheral vision. The commotion of the advancing human ghost hunters was getting louder and it also sounded as if they were being surrounded. They knew it wouldn't be long before the cavalry would be in sight._

 _The woman darted her eyes quickly to the injured ghost and mockingly continued, "And I don't think you're in any position to make_ _ **any**_ _deal, unless, of course, it's_ _ **my**_ _deal, 'sweetheart'."_

 _When Valerie saw no objection in Phantom's eyes for a change, she told him, "See if you can reach that scrap of paper just to your left there."_

" _Why?"_

" _Just do it!"_

 _Dark Dan knew that he was in no condition at this point to argue. If he didn't get to the Ghost Zone soon, he might never recover from his serious wounds. He struggled to reach the paper, but then, he finally did._

" _I have it, 'beautiful', he cheekily said._

 _Valerie turned to the Skulker-part of the robot and asked, "Isn't it true, Skultech, that a ghost's ectoplasm is as good as its bond?"_

 _The Skulker-part replied, "Yes, but what does that have to do…"_

" _Good," she said, intentionally interrupting him before wincing, "Geez, that's so whacked that even evil ghosts have a perverted honor system…" She then glanced at Phantom and seriously demanded, "So, I want you to write what I say down, 'Romeo'. And use your finger as a pen and your ectoplasm as ink!"_

 _All three of the ghosts' eyebrows shot up in shock. If Evil Dan agreed…_

" _How do you know I will actually write what you want, 'goddess'?" Phantom brashly teased._

 _Valerie answered in irritation, "Do you or don't you want a second chance? All we have to do is wait a bit more and it won't matter what you write!"_

 _Danny's alternate future-self hesitated. He didn't understand why she would give him a second chance…just like he didn't understand why his younger-self had given him one, too... Something tugged on his core; but he quickly threw it aside when he could feel his head begin to swim and the sound of multiple human feet echoing in the next over alley. He quickly dabbed his index finger into his abdominal wound and reluctantly said, "I'm all yours, 'beautiful'…"_

" _Okay," she instructed, "I want you to write that you promise by your own blood that you and your minions will stay out of Amity Park north and east beyond where we are now, which is Main Street near Pearl Street. You can have the rest of Amity Park from the next block over on this side. Where we are now will be our neutral zone, a place for any truce we might need. And from now on, if we have to engage in any kind of battle—which, honestly, I think you all actually_ _ **like**_ _—no ghost will be able to become intangible or invisible during those battles. That way, we can level the playing field a little bit….And maybe stop a little of the insanity that we have now…. Did you get that?"_

" _Yes," Dan said with a cough even when he finished writing what she said._

" _Now, sign it, 'hot shot'!" she insisted with a serious frown._

 _He complied._

" _Leave the paper and go…now! Our deal starts when you leave," she commanded. "And if you break that blood bond, Phantom, not only will I make sure all the other ghosts get you, but…" She suddenly jumped off of Skultech and onto her jetboard and shot at Phantom—but missed him on purpose._

 _Skultech hurriedly flew over to the injured Phantom, created a portal just big enough for the two of them, scooped him up, and jumped in just as it closed and just as Valerie's cavalry began to close all around her._

 _And ever since that moment, whenever the woman warrior and the ghost had to meet for some reason in their 'neutral zone' or otherwise, they used those same 'pet-names'…._

… _._

Back to the present five years later, Valerie concluded her 'history lesson' to Phantom by saying, "And even though I have to admit that you've been true to your word for all of these years, 'Romeo', you have to admit that I have too, until I was too busy chasing Spectra back to your side to see that I went a bit too far. But then again, I could say that I should be the offended party since one of your minions broke the deal in the first place."

In the meantime, not only was Tucker trying to wrap his head around an actual peace settlement between Evil Dan and the citizens of Amity Park even being possible, he was also wracking his brains with trying to figure out a way out of this mess. However, every time he even tried to get in a more comfortable position even when he was still faced-down on the ground, Evil Dan would just exert a bit more force with his foot and push him back down.

But when the teen could tell that Valerie's explanation was coming to an end, he began to panic. And with good cause, for he now could tell that the conversation was taking a different track.

Dark Dan frowned at the woman's comment and dryly replied, "I've told the ghosts to stay on our side; but you of all humans should know that there are renegades in both camps."

Valerie bit her lower lip. She secretly agreed with him. She paused only a moment before sweetly adding with a smile, "But really, do we want to get into all of that, 'sweetheart', especially when you owe me for that second chance like I gave you back then? It won't happen again."

He frowned as if he wasn't satisfied with her comment. But then, he tersely said, "Alright, 'goddess', I will give you that 'second chance'; that way, I will no longer owe you any other such favor from now on."

Valerie could barely believe what she had just heard, as she only saw the ghost as being very selfish and evil—and that he had only agreed to their deal five years ago because he was so compromised and close to going to his oblivion. But she couldn't possibly have known about the seed that had been planted, ironically, by a much younger and alternative version of the evil ghost shortly before his and Valerie's momentous encounter. Not that the ghost had fully mended his ways…he was just more open to…alternatives that he would never had even considered before he had been spared by his younger-self even when he had deserved to have been destroyed.

But before the woman warrior could comment, Phantom lifted his foot off of Tucker, leaned down and roughly pulled him up and off of the ground by the back of his collar this time. He pulled him up to eye-level again and almost growled in threat, "However, I never owed such a favor to this twerp. And this time, you will tell me why you're here, chump!"

Tucker gulped and he nervously averted the evil ghost's glare. In desperation, he searched just beyond his foe and spied Valerie's jetboard which was very close to them.

A thought burst as loudly as a firecracker thrown into the air.

" _I wonder…is it possible?"_ the human boy dared only to ask himself. _"Only one way to find out, dude!"_

The teen slowly reached for the control band that was still on his wrist and hidden from all eyes under his long-sleeve cargo shirt—the control band that he borrowed from his girl, that is, the younger version of the alternate-timeline Valerie who was right in front of him.

Tucker groped for the button and easily located the specific one he wanted. He didn't hesitate to push it.

His heart leapt a bit when the _future_ Valerie's jetboard silently lifted upward just as he commanded.

" _Ugh!"_ he reflexively thought, _"Major déjà vu! Don't know whether to be impressed or disappointed about that like I was when I first met Skultech 9.9! Oh, well, here goes nothing!"_

He immediately pushed the next command button.

A moment later, he grunted when he was roughly released and fell to the ground when the flying machine slammed hard right into Evil Dan and wrenched him away from the boy, just as Tucker had hoped! The jetboard then plastered the wicked ghost into a dilapidated building, which immediately collapsed around him. But Tucker had commanded the hoverboard to kick quickly back before it, too, would be embedded.

"I didn't do that!" Valerie yelled in shock as she pulled against Skultech 9.9.

"No, she didn't," Tucker loudly confirmed, "I did!"

"Stop, human!" the Technus-half of the robotic ghost protested.

But little did Technus know was that when he said that, the Skulker-half had unconsciously loosened his grip on Valerie and pulled out a weapon after he had seen his ally's being rocketed away from the scene and then rammed into the building. He immediately shot at Tucker!

Tucker yelled in panic, even as he was able to command the hoverboard back to him and jump out of the way of the ecto-beam at the same time.

Valerie, meanwhile, took full advantage of that slight movement she felt against her arms, twisted out of Skultech's hold, rolled to the ground and grabbed one of her weapons that was still in the place where it had fallen when Evil Dan had unleashed his ghostly wail.

She didn't hesitate to fire upon the robotic ghost, who yelled as the ectoblastic ray bit into him and riveted him violently away.

Just as Tucker hopped onto the still-flying jetboard, he yelled out, "Let's get out of here, Valerie!"

He then commanded the hoverboard to fly over to the woman. As he neared her, he didn't stop, but reached out to her ready hand, pulled her up behind him and soared away before the two ghosts could re-coup.

As they flew on toward what would be the 'neutral zone' of Amity Park, Valerie asked the teen, "How are you doing this, Tucker?"

"No time to explain," he hurriedly answered. "All I want to do right now is get as far away from here as I can!"

"I don't think it matters where we're going right now," Valerie said with a little fear in her voice.

All of sudden, several ectoplasmic rays whizzed by them!

Tucker didn't need to be reminded that they were still in very hot water as he commanded the jetboard in several successful evasive movements.

Valerie hung onto Tucker for dear life as her jetboard bobbed and weaved. But then, she turned around and saw that two ticked ghosts were quickly closing in!

She pushed a button on her belt and a small headband with a mouthpiece appeared around her cropped head. She yelled into what turned out to be a kind of loudspeaker, "This wasn't my idea, 'lover-boy'! I said I won't invade your turf anymore and I mean it! I just hope you will keep your word to stay on your turf as you have in the past. I'll believe that if you don't crossover into the _Homa_ Sector!" **[2]**

Tucker knew she had spoken a little Esperanto and so, he knew she had been referring to the "Human Sector".

In the meantime, Dark Dan hadn't answer her; instead, he poured on more speed and shot out more of his energy. Though Skultech couldn't fly that fast, he was still able to continue in his pursuit and attack.

Tucker, fortunately, was still able to maneuver their flying board just out of the line of fire each time.

"The border to the Human Sector is just ahead!" Valerie yelled as she pointed over Tucker's shoulder at the area full of pristine buildings.

But with still several hundred feet between them and that part of Amity Park, Evil Dan slowed down. But instead of stopping, he pulled in a big gulp of air in anticipation of releasing his ghostly wail!

"Hurry, Tucker! I just know he's going to release his ghostly wail any moment!" Valerie desperately said, fearing that Evil Dan was no longer going to uphold his end of their agreement. "I can activate a ghost shield as soon as we cross the border, which might help minimize the damage to this sector."

Tucker swallowed a hard-lump down and pushed a button with his foot this time.

The jetboard jerked forward so rapidly that both riders yelled in a panic when they almost fell off! But when they regain their balance, the pair could see that they were very close to the border.

Just then, however, Phantom's powerful ghostly wail hammered at them, their surroundings and their ears all at the same time!

Debris from the nearby buildings crumbling under the ghost's powerful weapon rained down on the pair even as Tucker pushed the jetboard's power to its limit.

But suddenly, a large piece that had broken off the top of a high building fell on the tip of the flying surfboard and pushed it sharply downward before both the debris and the tip slammed into the ground.

Unfortunately, the tail of the hoverboard maintained a forward thrust and the jolt of a very abrupt stop catapulted Valerie and Tucker as easily as if they had been on a springboard!

In the midst of his unexpected flight, however, Tucker somehow managed to hold onto the edge of the jetboard. But Valerie was thrown over the still falling debris and safely over the border into the Human Sector. Even as she quickly recovered, she reflexively pushed a button on her belt and a ghost shield materialized, that protected her from the pile of wreckage that was quickly mounting and choking off any entrance into—or exit from—either the Human Sector or Neutral Zone.

She turned to look for Tucker and gasped when she couldn't see him! But when she turned back in the direction in which she had come, she gasped again when she caught a glimpse of him just before the rest of the debris cut off her line of vision. She felt her heart constrict when she knew she couldn't help him now.

Once the passage was completely blocked, Evil Dan stifled his ghostly wail.

Meanwhile, Tucker was struggling with commanding the jetboard to pull itself from under the rubble pinning its front tip.

"Now I got you, twerp!" the wicked ghost chuckled.

Tucker didn't even stop to turn around and look at the evil ghost because he could tell that he was closer than he wanted to even admit.

But just as Valerie's flying machine finally broke free, several things happened all at the same time: Tucker hopped on the board, squatted to his knees and pushed a button to send it soaring away; the boy felt a strong hand wrap around his right ankle and he grasped the upper sides of the board harder; and his throat hitched when he heard that Skultech's rockets were just about upon him!

"Let go!" the teen desperately demanded as he banked the hoverboard to a hard left while pulling his right foot away at the same time in an attempt to brush the evil ghost off of him and the board.

"Not on your life!" Dan promised as he yanked even harder on the boy.

Tucker yelped when he was pulled to his right and closer to the evil ghost. Beads of sweat immediately formed on his brow as he performed a strange-looking chin-up along the floor of the jetboard in an attempt to move further toward the tip of the flying machine and away from the evil ghost.

A moment later, unfortunately, Skultech had finally caught up and quickly grabbed hold of the jetboard just behind the teen's left foot. Now that both ghosts were on either side of the back of the jetboard—with Tucker in between them—they suddenly reversed tactics—literally. Dark Dan fully released Tucker's foot and instead grasped the jetboard with both hands. Almost reflexively, both he and Skultech began to pull on the jetboard as if they were cowboys wrestling to pull down a young steer by its horns.

Once again, Tucker yelled in panic. Yet in spite of his terror, his brain snapped with an idea. He struggled to reach the control band of the hoverboard that was on his wrist. Finally, he felt the controls! Without hesitating in the least, he pushed a button; and a split second later, the ghosts were yelling in pain and had let go of the flying surfboard which had blasted them right in their faces with the increased propulsion.

But Tucker didn't anticipate the sudden shift in the forward movement of the hoverboard and before he knew it, his feet were sliding off of the side of the hoverboard and he was now hanging from the tip and facing behind the jetboard's forward path.

And he could see the two evil ghosts renew their chase!

Gulping in dread, Tucker grunted as the pulled himself up in the best and swiftest chin-up of his life and threw himself over the tip and onto the body of Valerie's flying machine. His eyes widened when he could see the ghosts were just about to pounce on him again!

It never occurred to him that they had no intension of firing at him.

Nevertheless, the teen's brain was as charged as his heart's thumping and another idea sprung up. He hurriedly turned forward again and clung to the right side of the board…And just when it seemed that the ghosts were about to put their hands on the flying board yet again, Tucker reached down his shirt with his left hand and yanked off his time medallion with more force than what was needed in normal circumstances.

In an instant, Tucker was surrounded by a purple aura and was phasing out of the timeline and into his own…bringing with him the jetboard….

And, much to his chagrin, also bringing Evil Dan and Skultech 9.9, whom he knew in the heartbeat when the aura had appeared, had just been able to grab onto the jetboard—and even his right ankle again—and who had obviously already put those other time medallions on in anticipation for this very chance!

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 **[1] Esperanto for 'Human'.**

 **[2] If you want the details as to what Valerie is referring, you're going to have to read my story, "His Own Worst Enemy"! *winks***

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 **A/N: Well, there you have it! I sure hope you liked the AU-ish part of this chapter! And I hope you will throw some of those AU-ish thoughts my way in that little box below. Until next time, dear readers, and a happy birthday again to you, Lisa!**


	15. Chapter 15 Complications of Plans,Part 2

**A/N: Hiya, everybodee! Looks like it's time for an update! You know the standard disclaimer: I don't own any Danny Phantom characters. Enjoy the show!**

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Entanglement—Chapter 15—Complications of Plans, Part 2

Tucker, his two unplanned and definitely unwanted passengers, and the future Valerie's jetboard soared into Tucker's real and present timeline before the Time Viewing Orb they had shot out from darkened.

The futuristic jetboard was going so fast that Tucker couldn't stop it when he sorely wanted to. But he tried anyways to steer it to a hard left. It slid sideward like a motorcycle skidding to a halt, only that in the end its entire right side slammed into one of the walls of Clockwork's Room of Chronology—with Dark Dan sandwiched between the wall and the side of the flying surfboard. The wicked ghost was momentarily hunched over and pinned by the side edge of the jetboard.

The force of the impact also slung Skultech 9.9 off of the board; and, in turn, he rammed hard into the same wall before oozing downward and landing on the floor in a heap.

Ironically, the fact that Evil Dan had been clutching Tucker's right ankle right before they phased into this timeline saved the teen from being flung off of the machine and into the wall as well. And the jolt of the impact was also enough that Dark Dan had unconsciously released the boy's ankle.

Though the teen was shaken up from the hard stop, he knew that he had no time to fully recover. He pressed a button and the jetboard's side boosters further shoved Evil Dan into the wall.

But unfortunately for Tucker, that was not enough force to keep the powerful ghost trapped! And even when the jetboard continued to press against him, Dark Dan merely brought his hands up, grasped the hovercraft by its sides and jerked it up and down with the intention of throwing Tucker off of it this time!

Tucker yelled in a panic, even when he was still barely able to cling onto the bucking hoverboard because he couldn't yet let go of one hand in order to reach the controls.

But then, both he and the ghost heard more commotion in the room.

When Phantom momentarily stopped shaking the flying surfboard to look toward the other noise, Tucker finally got his chance. In the next instant, the jetboard dutifully jerked forward and backward and side-to-side again, forcefully swatting Evil Dan into the wall yet again before Tucker finally commanded it forward and toward the nearby doorway.

"Oh, no, you don't, twerp!" Dan growled in anger as he soared after the hoverboard while charging his red ectoplasm energy. In the next instant, he fired at the fleeing jetboard and teen.

In all that while, Skultech 9.9 had recovered not too long after his hard introduction to the wall of Clockwork's castle. When both sets of eyes within the large robot had stopped jerking back-and-forth from their dizziness, they immediately saw Tucker desperately hanging on while Dark Dan grappled with the active jetboard between them.

"Activate the weaponry," Skulker barked to his ghost companion, keeping his eyes on the scene.

"On it!" Technus snorted just before a wicked-looking gun popped out of the robot's suit and into its right hand.

The futuristic robot ignored a noise to his right and took aim at Tucker. He was about to fire at the human boy when Tucker managed to break free and soared away. But Skultech was use to skeet shooting and only altered his aim and began to pull the trigger. Suddenly, however, something came flying out of what seemed out-of-nowhere and slapped the gun out of his hands before it then slammed into the side of his head in a rapid one-two combo.

"What the…?" Technus erupted in alarm when his sensors detected that attack too late.

But the techno-ghost didn't have time to analyze the data because he was suddenly reeling from a powerful purple energy beam aimed straight at him, which knocked him out cold.

Losing the technology link to his suit—which meant no weapons—Skulker was more on edge. But then, his senses alerted him. He reeled around and blindly punched at his unknown foe.

His robotic arm, however, instantly met an unseen force of resistance; a resistance that was, in fact, so powerful that all of the armored parts of that same arm cracked before they sloughed off as easily as melting butter, leaving only its skeletal frame.

Skulker looked at his arm in shock; but not half as much as when his eyes travelled along that damaged arm to a staff that he instantly concluded had attacked him and then to the being who was wielding it!

"Clockwork?" Skulker wheezed in trepidation as his eyes darted all around him. He knew he couldn't win any battle against the Master of Time—especially in his lair!

"I have wasted too much time, though I cannot deny that I haven't had this much entertainment in quite a while," the Time Master said with a hint of a smirk tugging his lips. "However, in the end, you have been a most unwelcomed guest, Master Skultech!"

In a blink of an eye, the Time Ghost was even closer to the future ghost. Skulker didn't react because there was not enough time before Clockwork had reached over and grabbed the Time Medallion from around his neck.

"And I will be taking this back right now, too," Clockwork remarked as he snatched his property off of the future ghost, who instantly dematerialized and returned to his own timeline.

Once Skultech was gone, the Master of Time turned around. He had already known that the two other parties who had invaded his lair had already left the scene.

Still, the Time Ghost looked down at the debris left behind after his attack on Skultech 9.9.

Just as his staff levitated the pile to his eye level, he narrowed his eyes.

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Only moments before, Tucker had flown away so quickly trying to avoid any kind of battle—which he knew that he would surely lose—that he had no idea what had transpired between Clockwork and Skultech. Instead, he gasped in fear when he could see the growing power of Dark Dan's energy sporadically licking up the back and sides of the buckling futuristic jetboard.

But, the teen wasn't going to give up that easily as he pulled his knees under him and crouched low on the flying board as if he and the machine were as one unit. Together, they finally darted through the doorway leading out of Clockwork's Room of Chronology and down the maze of hallways. He knew that they would eventually lead him to the entrance of the castle; but not fast enough in his book.

Nevertheless, the human boy quickly pushed several buttons in sequence. The jetboard twisted and turned before bobbing up-and-down is if it were riding an imaginary wave as the boy desperately took evasive action.

The future wicked Danny, however, only increased his speed and sent more energy into the board in the next instance.

But much to the evil ghost's chagrin and surprise, the jetboard increased in speed! He couldn't have known that Tucker had just activated the board's energy thrusters at the precise moment he had shot his energy; and as a result, Dan's ray actually gave the flying machine an _extra_ boost forward, and left him further behind!

Now that there was more distance between his pursuer and him—even if it were temporary—Tucker punched on more keys in his wrist control band, commanding the machine to get the heck out of here!

Meanwhile, Evil Dan grunted in anger at his stupidity and resumed in his pursuit, all the while shooting at the fleeing boy.

Tucker continued to zig or zag, and dart side-to-side and up-and-down as he evaded most of the ghost's penetrating beams. Onward he urgently flew, yelling in panic whenever the ghost's energy beam made contact with his getaway board.

" _Thank goodness this board can obviously take higher levels of ectoplasmic energy or else I would've been toast by now!"_ Tucker said to himself as he continued to guide it wildly through the halls of Clockwork's tower and toward the large front door. Of course, he knew it helped that it somehow still had power now that it was in the Realm Beyond Time.

Then the dark-skinned boy gulped when he finally saw the exit. The front gate was closed!

" _I don't know which is worse: to be plastered by Clockwork's door or by the evil dude's rays,"_ he groaned to himself, but still continued on his wild ride to escape.

Just as the teen banked to the hard right, however, one of the wicked ghost's beams shot right over his head from behind, grazing his beret as it did. The boy yelped and hugged the board, only to glance ahead and see that the large ectoplasmic beam had rammed right into the front door of Clockwork's castle and blasted a large hole in it!

Tucker couldn't help but think, _"Don't know if the jerk dude meant to do that so he could waste me out in the open or not, but as long as I don't become a door ornament, I'll take it!"_

But just as he was nearing the opening of the remains of the door, another idea blasted in his head.

" _At this point, here goes nothing!"_ he silently mused as he quickly pushed on more buttons on the control wrist band.

Just as the teen hoped, _young_ Valerie's hoverboard—the one that Tucker had used to get to Clockwork's Tower in _this_ timeline—sputtered to life and was already inching toward the hole of his escape. He knew he possibly had only moments for anything to happen because that board outside was subject to the same rules about technology in this realm. But he was hoping that the fact that he hadn't used it much once he had actually entered this realm it would work well enough.

Nevertheless, Tucker raced forward even as the jetboard he was riding on clipped the tip of his girlfriend's flying surfboard as it continued its sharp climb upward in order to block off the front of the jagged, open doorway just at the same time that Dan was trying to exit the crevice!

Evil Dan was flying so quickly in pursuit and through the last long hallway leading to the castle's entranceway that by the time the passenger-less jetboard was in front of him, he was careening into it.

The wicked ghost grunted at the impact and in the process, the jetboard blew up and its remnants hammered into him.

" _Man, and I thought getting zapped or plastered was worse because Valerie is so going to kill me!"_ Tucker thought with a cringe when he heard the massive explosion.

Still, the boy concentrated on trying to push _this_ jetboard to its limits now that his angry pursuer was momentarily deterred—and before the magical effects of the atmosphere neutralized its power.

Much to the boy's chagrin, however, the time for those effects were far too quickly obvious, for his flying machine began to buck and lose power! It wouldn't be too long before the atmosphere had rendered it useless.

Twisting back to see that Dark Dan had recovered from that explosion way too quickly than he could even hope and was already in pursuit, the boy gulped in dread when he knew he was going to be a sitting duck before too long now that the jetboard had just lost complete power and was gliding forward in ominous silence….

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Danny and Sam soared side-by-side faster toward Clockwork's tower, hoping that their hunch about Tucker was right. Even if their hunch was right, they still had a lot to worry and fear about, since that might only mean that their friend was in even bigger trouble and they were headed right to it. And even if they were wrong…

"But what if we're all wrong about this?" Sam asked, suddenly unsure of her hunch, as she slightly adjusted the strap of her jetpack.

"It doesn't matter," Danny grimly replied, "This is all my fault and I have to see it through."

" _We_ have to see this through," Sam gently corrected him. "I just wanted to make sure that we're on the same page, that's all."

He gave her a slight squeeze in affection and appreciation as he turned to her and slightly chuckled, "And speaking on 'being on the right page', let's figure out what we're going to say to Clockwork _if_ Tucker hasn't gone there after all, okay? Not that we'll be in any kind of trouble with Clockwork if we just seem to have randomly visited him. I just don't want to look or sound like a dweeb going there, especially without Tucker."

Sam's eyes widened a bit. Her boyfriend was right about having some sort of 'story' to tell the Time Master! She then slightly gasped, "Ohmigosh! You're right, Danny. Why didn't I think of that?!"

"'Cause you're just as worried as me, that's why!" he slightly quipped before giving her another slight squeeze.

"And I'm the one who supposed to have the empathic powers," she teased back with a deadpan voice.

"Now you know how I feel about not being perfect—except for your kisses, that is!" he answered in a half-tease.

She smirked as she shoved him partly away, but not enough to break their side-to-side embrace.

"Okay," she finally replied, "That just gives me an idea on what to say to Clockwork…"

But she suddenly stopped when she saw Clockwork's very castle looming in the distance!

Danny slowed enough so that they could approach the castle as if they were here on a visit, rather than on an anxious mission.

"Okay, Sam, now would be a good time to clue me into that idea," Danny said as he slowed even more.

But just as the couple was a few hundred yards from the castle's front door, Sam yelled, "Look! There's Valerie's jetboard! Tucker must be there!"

"Wow, that's so cool that it made it out here without losing power!" Danny said a bit too enthusiastically.

"Be serious, Danny!" Sam slightly chided. "Who cares? Obviously, it had power enough!"

"Sorry, Sam!" he sheepishly replied.

But suddenly, Danny halted in mid-flight, pointed and cried out, "Look at Clockwork's castle! What's happening?!"

The couple glanced at each other in shock before looking back at Clockwork's lair.

All of the lights in the castle suddenly snuffed out before they heard a very large commotion, followed by the sound of several ecto-blasts—that were getting louder by the milliseconds!

Obviously, a fight was heading their way from the other side of the main gate!

And none too soon, for a moment later, the couple startled when the entrance to Clockwork's castle blew up and burst forth from the inside out and spewed its debris in all directions.

Fortunately for the two, they were still far enough away not to have been affected by the shrapnel.

But then, the two gasped when they saw Tucker flying out of the hole…on _another_ jetboard just as the one that had been on _this side_ of the castle's entrance shot upward and blocked the path that Tucker had just used.

Though the young couple momentarily wondered why they were seeing two jetboards, they really didn't have time to think about it for they gulped at what they saw next:

Another explosion bigger than the first erupted where they had seen the riderless jetboard go only moments before. And before they could guess why, they saw Danny's future evil-self emerge from the huge cloud of ashes and debris! The wicked ghost scanned only for a brief moment before he flew in hot pursuit of Tucker…And the hoverboard Tucker was on was suddenly slowing dangerously down!

"H-How did he…?" Sam gasped in shock at seeing the future ghost.

Danny hurriedly interrupted her, "Yeah, me, too, Sam, but there's no time!" He then commanded, "You get to Tucker and get out of here while the power in your jetpack lasts, and I'll deal with the big jerk!"

"Go, then!" she agreed as she turned on her jetpack and soared over to their best friend, who was now slowing down to an unwanted stop.

Danny turned on his supersonic speed while willing forth his level-nine energy at the same time. He concentrated on his mission and so was able to throw out his initially upsetting flashbacks of meeting his evil-self too many times, whether real or imagined…

Meanwhile, Tucker could feel his heartbeat sounding in his ears and a lump forming in his throat as his jetboard came to a complete stop. Though he didn't really want to, he still turned around and watched Evil Dan nearing him more quickly than he ever wanted to even imagine, especially when the wicked ghost had red energy orbs rapidly widening around his clenched hands.

The dark-skinned teen yelped in terror when the evil creature shot his red power forward toward him and then gasped in shock when a thick, solid wall of blue ice formed right in front of him and absorbed the blow before exploding away from him, yet effectively snuffing the red energy out!

Tucker hurriedly scanned toward the direction from whence the ice beam had come and his shoulders fell slightly in relief when he saw his friend Danny Phantom follow up with another powerful ice beam aimed at the evil ghost this time.

But then, he saw his friend Sam rapidly heading his way!

"Man, am I glad to see you _both_ , Sam!" Tucker said in relief just as Sam got to him.

"Likewise," she hurriedly replied, "But let's get out of here first! We're lucky that this jetpack has very little tech in it, but don't want to wait around to see how much!"

The two friends interlocked at their waists and immediately soared away from the now two fighting ghosts.

In the meantime, Danny's second ice beam had made contact with his evil future-self and froze him in a thick solid block of ice.

Danny, however, knew that it wouldn't hold his alternate-self for long. He had already formed a large dark green ball of energy right after freezing the ghost. The ball was filled with supercharged white balls of energy, which bounced rapidly within it, eager to escape as a pack of angry guard dogs! Without hesitation, the teen half-ghost propelled the large orb right at his frozen foe while rapidly shortening the distance between them.

In an instant, the orb engulfed Dark Dan before it exploded with a loud bang when its surface was breached.

The evil older ghost cried out in pain at the stinging and impressive jolt that had just been drilled into his body, which shook from the blow. Though he was dizzy, Dark Dan still gasped in shock when he saw who had attacked him. Ignoring the smoke still emanating from his scorched body, the wicked ghost gritted his teeth in anger and headed right to the teen half-ghost with red energy blaring from both of his hands.

Danny easily dodged all of the red beams and counterattacked any chance he got between evading those incoming beams. He grunted in irritation whenever the older ghost equally avoided his counterattacks.

Finally, the two ghosts were within hearing distance and the older ghost yelled, "Though my quarrel didn't start with you, twerp, I don't mind ending it with you!"

Danny ignored what he said and willed an energy shield as he narrowed the distance between them again. Through it, he could see the time medallion around the evil ghost's neck.

" _Explains why he's here, but not how he got it,"_ the boy mused only to himself; only to gasp in the next instant and yell out demandingly, "What did you do to Clockwork, jerk?"

"Nothing. Yet," Dan chuckled wickedly as he shot another ray at the teen. "You can thank both your chump of a pal and your little puppy love pathetically trying to escape for my getting the pleasure of paying you back!"

The red energy beam plowed into the boy's shield and quickly petered out.

Danny was thankful that the damage to his level-nine shield was minimal; but he immediately answered the blow with another of his own ice ones.

The boy gritted his teeth in irritation when one of Evil Dan's red beams shattered the ice ray. Nevertheless, Danny shot yet another ice beam at him and jeered, "Payback? For what? Wait! Don't answer that! 'Payback' for saving your stinking butt? Don't want or need that kind of lame thanks!"

Dan avoided that ice beam and teleported so that he was right next to Danny. He quickly grabbed the teen by the neck. But before he could hit Danny, the boy was able to pry his hands off of his neck and follow up with a powerful upper-cut blow right into the older ghost's jaw!

"I'll get you for that, squirt!" the older ghost hissed in both anger and pain.

In reality, however, Dark Dan couldn't believe how much that blow smarted. In fact, he was dizzier from it than he thought to the point that Danny was able to pull away and widen their distance from each other. He shook his head, trying to clear it. He didn't want to admit to himself that the boy was holding his own quite well in this fight.

A moment later, Danny sent another thick ice beam at his older evil-self.

But Dan had recovered enough to countered it with one of his red beams in the nick of time. But when it hit the ice beam this time, it was just at the right angle to divert its direction away from him—and right toward Sam and Tucker!

Danny gasped when he saw that but immediately calmed down when Sam's jetpack still had energy enough to maneuver away from it.

The teen half-ghost didn't lose a beat in firing off more of his dark green ecto-energy when his foe tried to replicate. Though he was relieved more than proud that the older ghost's whole body shook and smoked from the direct hit and the replicates disintegrated, the younger Phantom wouldn't let up or get himself distracted this time...

In the meantime,…

"Eeyoww!" Tucker erupted when Danny's ice energy beam barely missed Sam and him. "I know he might still be mad at me, Sam, but geez!"

"Knock it off, Tucker!" Sam impatiently commanded. "We got to help Danny!"

"But how? The PDA I used to get here also got destroyed by the putrid future-Danny. And I had to leave my weapons in that other timeline," he replied bitterly.

Though the way the dark-skinned boy had said that cut at Sam's heart, she steeled herself, growled in irritation and tersely said, "If I give you the jetpack, and you get me as close as you can without being in a crossfire, my arms will be free enough for me to try to use my telekinetic powers. I just hope they, uh, come up faster than the last time."

Though the girl suddenly was distressed that she hadn't been practicing her skills like she should have, she had no time for regrets.

When they stopped briefly enough for Sam to unfasten the jetpack, she looked right at him and seriously added, "So, are you in or not, Tucker? Or do you still want to keep taking stabs at your friends?"

Though she had that look that seemed to go right through him, along with instant chills running up-and-down his spine, Tucker grabbed the jetpack, quickly slipped it on and replied with determination, "So, what are we waiting for?"

Sam smiled only to herself. Though she was still upset with this whole thing, she, like her two best friends, were always able to forget about their quarrels in a pinch like this one.

As the two friends flew toward the fray between the two Phantoms, Sam tried to concentrate on summoning her spirit powers.

Just as she grew hopeful when she could see the purplish-pink glow leak out and form around her hands, however, she gasped when some kind of mysterious black- and-red glow was forming near the two fighting ghosts. It looked similar to the one that...took Skulker away—and, unbeknownst to her, also Vlad!

Tucker had likewise seen the phenomenon, and he bit his lower lip in fear.

But, unfortunately, the two Phantoms were battling so intensely that neither of them had noticed…

Then, the black-and-red glow began to spin until a portal opened. Sam's, and now Tucker's, eyes widened when the portal started _to move_ very quickly toward the two feuding ghosts!

" _Danny, watch out!"_ Sam screamed mentally to her boyfriend.

But her intent to warn her boyfriend was enough of a distraction to her beau that he anxiously glanced all around him to see what she was warning him about.

At that precise moment, however, Evil Dan's next beam hit Danny squarely in the chest. He ricocheted off of the blow and was sent flying helter-skelter through the atmosphere in a high arch.

"Danny!" Sam screamed mentally and out loud at the same time.

But her boyfriend couldn't hear her even mentally because that blow he took had been strong enough to not only propel him very far away, but also to knock him partially out.

A split second later, however, she and Tucker gasped at the same time.

The evil Phantom had spied _them_ and was now soaring toward them!

"Please tell me that this was part of your plan, Sam," Tucker slightly whined.

"Let's just get out of here as fast as you can, Tucker!" she commanded as she charged up her spirit energy once more.

Tucker didn't need to be told twice. He tightened his hold around his friend's waist and pulled into a hard 180-degree turn away from the wicked ghost and put the jetpack on full throttle and it dutifully darted quickly away…

Meanwhile, that portal that had formed had never gone away. In fact, it was rapidly closing the distance between it and Evil Dan.

But then, Danny's future-self's red ghost-sense alerted him that something was awry. He turned his head around slightly to look behind him and his eyes widened when he saw not Danny, but the moving portal.

"Never seen anything like that before, and I'll make sure I don't see another like it again!" Dan quipped as he pulled his right arm back and shot directly into the portal.

The portal dematerialized right away. Satisfied that he had destroyed it, the wicked ghost resumed his pursuit of the two teens.

Sam finally got her telekinetic energy to strengthen. She hurriedly said, "Okay, Tucker, I'm going to twist around and try to slow that putrid ghost down for as long as I can, and hopefully, Danny will have recovered enough to see what's happening. So, just keep holding me tight and steering us away as much as you can, okay?"

"Got that, Sam!" he said in fret.

Without losing control, Tucker loosened his grip just enough for Sam to turn around so that she was now facing behind them.

And just when Sam thought that Dan was closer than she ever wanted to see him again, she shot a beam of her telekinetic energy.

The evil ghost easily avoided it and mused, "Whoah, didn't expect that! I wonder how the little witch got that little trick…"

And just when he answered with a beam of his own red energy, he then added, "Not that it matters!"

But his eyes widened in surprise when Sam threw up a shield that easily withstood the blow.

"Okay, 'sweetheart', if that's how it's going to be, let's see how you do when I hit you point blank!" he said in determination as he poured on more speed.

Meanwhile, Sam knew that she wouldn't be able to match him for long; but still readied herself for another attack as the wicked ghost closed in. In the next instant, however, she hitched in a gasp when she saw another red-and-black portal was quickly forming behind Dan. And it was going faster than he was!

And this time, Dan's ghost sense _didn't_ alert him.

Once again, the ghost shot at the teens; and yet again, Sam's shield held firm.

Sam panted with the strain but she concentrated more to widen the shield so that it was now almost encapsulating her and Tucker.

Now determined to destroy that shield with his bare hands, Phantom increased his speed. And just when the evil ghost Dan grabbed a hold of Sam's purplish-red shield and began to wrestle with it, the reddish-black portal crashed into the trio!

All three of them were screaming as the electrical power penetrated them—though luckily for Sam and Tucker the wicked ghost had absorbed most of the energy since he had been the nearest to the portal. Almost instantly after that, the portal had engulfed the threesome and disappeared from the purple atmosphere.

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Skulker and Vlad frowned as they watched Ĉasista bob up-and-down. They could tell that she was obviously entertaining herself. Nevertheless, the allies continued to struggle with their bonds since her back was to them and she was nearer to the entrance of the cave.

The spider-like creature was actually cackling with glee as she hung onto the webbing connecting her to the electrified cocoon she had sent to hunt the prey she had sensed. Ĉasista pulled at the thick string of webbing this way or that as if she were water skiing behind an invisible speed boat.

But then, she yelled a bit when she felt a slightly painful jolt after Evil Dan had struck her portal and sent his energy to her. Nevertheless, she recovered instantaneously before she paused momentarily while her special senses analyzed the DNA within that jolt. Her hideous face skewed in puzzlement. How could this prey seem very similar to the Plasmius creature? But she quickly threw that thought away.

"Oh-ho! That smite was supposed to impress Ĉasista, pet? It was a mere tickle!" she emoted, obviously speaking to something other than Vlad and Skulker. "And she will not let any of your tricks warn you this time!" she promised, referring to Dan's ghost sense. She then bit into the webbing her forelegs were holding and fed more energy into it, which spread outward and toward its end. She knew that her poison would cloak the energy this time and render the ghost's power that had earlier warned him useless.

Then as if she were a fisherman who had just gotten the anticipated bite, she whooped and yanked hard on the webbing, as each of her legs took turn reeling it in hand-over-hand.

Finally, Vlad and Skulker had to squint their eyes when the spider-spirit finally landed what was really a trap and portal in one. The fairly large ĉerko crackled and glowed with electricity.

Plasmius's eyes widen in fascination when the electricity that had surrounded the ĉerko seemed to attack Ĉasista at first, only for the bolts to skim off the surface of her body as easily as water rolled off a rock. The bolts then penetrated the floor of her lair and lit up the entire area just before it reabsorbed the energy.

"Incredible!" the older hybrid mused. "It's as if the creature and her lair were the same being!"

But what Vlad didn't know was that he wasn't far from the truth.

In the next moment, however, Ĉasista tore into the ĉerko and then yelled in surprise, "Three? Three ĉerkos within one? How can that be when she only sensed _two_ others?"

Plasmius and Skulker's eyes widened in anticipation when the spider retrieved the three separate cocoons and laid them on the floor. And then, she grabbed hold of the bigger one, lifted it up, bit into the top of it and started to slurp in the webbing as if it were spaghetti.

Skulker and Plasmius strained to see who the unfortunate ghost was, but for now, all they could see the creature's skin, which they didn't know had turned from blue to green from the poison within the ĉerko.

But then, Skulker hitched in a gasp and Plasmius sat in shock when a few moments later, the head and shoulders of an unconscious Evil Dan were exposed before Ĉasista grabbed him and sunk her fangs into his neck!

At that precise moment, however, Ĉasista frowned in both dissatisfaction and confusion. "This creature does taste like the Plasmius one, but he also does not taste like him…She looked at him in confusion until she noticed an aberration in the aura near his lower jaw. She examined it immediately before tearing a piece off and devouring it.

Though the spider didn't understand why, she didn't care that the unconscious creature in front of her was similar—and yet very different—than the Plasmius creature. Still, she couldn't deny that also tasted just like another….powerful ghost—which was one of other ones she had detected before capturing this one….

But then, again, hadn't she captured him? She secured Dark Dan's ĉerko on the wall so that Vlad was now between Dark Dan and Skulker. Then, she approached the two other two ĉerkos and sniffed them over. No…that other powerful ghost was not among the cocoons. But what of these two? Now she was very curious why they were here and, more importantly, why she had not sensed them.

Nevertheless, Ĉasista's mind was still focused on the other ghost she had detected. She knew she had time enough to check the contents of these two mysterious cocoons. As she sniffed the air and focused on her original target, she mused with a wicked smile, "No…he is still out there…but not for long."

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 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed this action chapter and won't be shy in throwing a little sweetness for me below. Of course, I always appreciate your critique, but only if it's chocolate-coated! Thanks for reading and I hope to hear from you soon!**


	16. Chapter 16 Tightening Loose Strings

**A/N: Hiya, everybodee! I hope you've haven't had too much of an anxious withdrawal over the last two weeks from this story, especially since I'm about to give you a fix! Things are sure heating up, but then again, you know how much I love action! Remember that I don't own the DP franchise, but wish I did. And I do own this story and OC's. Heh-heh. Enjoy the show!**

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Entanglement—Chapter 16 –Tightening Loose Strings

Vlad Plasmius blinked a couple of times, finally shaking himself out of the initial shock. He still couldn't believe what he was seeing: Daniel's alternate future evil-self!

Though Vlad didn't know that his mind had been cleared of the memories he had of his last encounter with the young half-ghost, his memories of what he had learned about the future ghost when he and the boy had been prisoners of the Observants _were_ still intact. And he was sure he was looking at that powerful ghost right now, even if he had first seen him only as an image made by Clockwork…He paused. In all honestly, he hadn't really bought into most of the things that had been presented in that trial. In fact, he had reflexively rejected most of those 'facts' during the trial itself; and afterward, had dismissed most of them as half-truths, distortions of the truth, or outright lies conjured up by Iluzisto and even the Time Master. He didn't even completely believe Daniel's story about this creature, either, because he just thought the boy, who was already impressible enough, was so distraught about the trial that he had just swallowed the Observants' deception.

Such was his belief about any kind of creature the Observants identified as 'Dark Dan'….But now, now that he was seeing the creature first hand—and who was very much _real_ —well, he didn't know what to think, except that he hadn't realized at first that this creature was that ghost because his skin tone was a different color. But then, he suddenly knew why. The spider's poison must have changed it! Still, how—and more importantly, _why_ —was this creature even here?

But the older hybrid's thoughts were interrupted when Ĉasista suddenly and easily lifted up the cocoon swathing Dark Dan high into in the air as if it were light as a feather and started to head his and Skulker's way.

Skulker, meanwhile, had also been watching the déjà vu-like movements of the spider when she had approached her next victim. He kept his eyes glued onto her as she bit into that unconscious ghost and inspected him. Skulker resisted the shivers he felt up-and-down his ghost spine when it dawned on him that she must have done that _to him_ as well. Still, whoever that green-skinned ghost was, Skulker knew that he must somehow be important to the wicked spider. Nevertheless, the Ghost Hunter didn't say a word as he tracked all of the spirits movements, including her hanging the ĉerko that contained that hapless ghost so that he was next to Vlad, which meant that Vlad was now in the middle of the three ĉerkos.

But Skulker didn't have to even guess what would happen next, for Ĉasista turned around and headed toward the other two smaller ĉerkos which were still quite a distance away from the group of three hanging on the opposite wall.

Now was the robotic ghost's chance. He then whispered under his breath to Vlad, "Psst…Vlad, who is that creature who is now next to you?"

Vlad turned to his ally, and whispered back in confusion, "Don't you know?"

Skulker turned his head side-to-side to indicate a 'no'.

Vlad frowned, but then nodded slightly in understanding. Of course. Even though he had told Skulker everything that had happened in the Realm Beyond Time when he had been a prisoner, he hadn't ever described Evil Dan in detail nor had he drawn any picture of the future ghost because he didn't think that creature had been real. Not only that, but he couldn't know that Skulker _hadn't_ been present in the control room of the simulation room when Vlad had used the Evil Dan's image to fight the young half-ghost because, of course, he had no memory of it all!

Meanwhile, Skulker had been drawn by an unusual aroma he had caught whiff of that was in the general direction of the mystery ghost. The cyborg ghost frowned, puzzled. Somehow, that smell was the _same as_ Plasmius… _and_ the Ghost Child! How could that be?

Before Skulker could comment, however, Vlad swallowed hard and continued, "The creature right next to me is that 'Dark Dan' I told you about a while back. The one I had seen during the trial I had with the Observants!"

Skulker's eyes widened; and almost forgetting to keep his voice down, he exclaimed, "What? But I thought you said he was an imaginary creature used to trap you during that trial!"

"Well, yes, I did think that until…now," Vlad admitted.

"But, how can that be, Plasmius? If he is indeed real as he seems to be now, he is supposed to be in another timeline and in another dimension!" Skulker pointed out in slight exasperation.

"And if that is _that_ creature, how can he even exist here?" Vlad added mostly to himself, before he replied, "I don't have an explanation for that, Skulker, but perhaps the better questions are: why did he come into our timeline and, more importantly, why is he _here_?"

But the two allies didn't have any more time to discuss the possibilities because they were interrupted by Ĉasista, who had just cried out in shock and mortification. They immediately turned to look her way.

"What is this?" she had gasped, as she pulled out each of the two silent humans by the neck from out of their respective ĉerkos and held them upward with each of her forelegs as if she were a maid pinching a couple of smelly rags in disgust.

The eyes of both Vlad and Skulker widened in shock. The Guardian was holding the friends of Danny Phantom!

How did _they_ get into this mess? And where was the young half-ghost, since the spider had only taken three ĉerkos out to the original large one? Even if the allies wanted to dwell on those thoughts, they couldn't, because they knew that they had best pay attention to an obviously very displeased evil spirit!

" _ **Ghosts-to-be**_?" the spider all but vomited out. "Humans? Here? And especially, ugh, weak ones! Why did Ĉasista's portal not reject them as it would any flesh creature? There is nothing special about 'ghosts-to-be'!"

Her eight eyes quickly skirted over each of the humans before she suddenly yanked Sam closer to her and sniffed her over.

In the meantime, Sam's head fell fully to her left side from the jerk and the right side of her neck was now fully exposed.

At the scent and sight of the girl, Ĉasista gave into her impulse and sunk her fangs right into the unresponsive girl's exposed neck! Sam's skin immediately paled at the assault.

Moments later, the spider sucked in some of the girl's blood and then leaked her poison into the girl's body before she abruptly stopped. Ĉasista's face puckered in a mixture of disgust and intrigue even as she rejected the girl's blood that had been in her mouth and the last of it oozed down the sides of her mouth.

The Guardian grunted only to herself, _"As Ĉasista expected, this one tastes very, very bitter. If it were not for all of that bitterness, Ĉasista_ would _have been delighted to know that the portal never errs still! This is no ordinary ghost-to-be! Among the bitterness of her flesh-blood, this one has spirit power flowing through her veins. How, Ĉasista cannot say, but she lusts to know! So then, this creature may still make a fine victim!"_

The spider spirit hastily lowered the unconscious girl to the floor of her lair and brought the just-as-unconscious Tucker up to her hideous face, eager to examine and sample him as well. She smelled him, but his scent puzzled her. Nevertheless, she sunk her fangs partially into his neck. But that one small taste was enough! She puckered her face in disgust and disappointment and pulled her fangs out right away. She couldn't make herself suck out any of his blood nor infect him with any of her venom, all because of that one small taste…

Still, she examined him a bit more before thinking, " _He smells and tastes as bitter as any ordinary ghost-to-be, which would make him an undesirable victim… Still, Ĉasista's portal makes no error; and even if the spirit power that this one possesses is like the female one, it is all but masked in him, for his power is not as strong as hers."_

At first, the spider's first instinct was to destroy this male outright. But then, she looked at the jetpack still attached to his back. She had no idea what it was and pawed at it for a few moments before she mused only to herself, _"Besides, he is a deformed ghost-to-be and cannot be of much value…."_ She paused yet again, which was enough to shift her train-of-thought slightly. She was still bothered about the fact that her portal hadn't rejected _this_ ghost-to-be from the beginning. She toyed with her next thought, " _Still, he might prove useful; otherwise, how is it that these two ghosts-to-be both have similar spirit power and be in each other's company at the same time?"_

Satisfied with her decision for now, Ĉasista began to re-wrap Tucker within a fresh ĉerko, making sure to keep his head and shoulders exposed.

The large spider than placed Tucker and his ĉerko on the ground before lifting Sam back up and re-wrapping her the same way that she had wrapped Tucker. And it was a good thing that she kept the two humans' heads exposed, as the thick atmosphere was already compromising their breathing. If she had fully encased them, they might have suffocated within their ĉerkos.

Finally, Ĉasista picked them up, walked over to the wall that held the other ĉerkos and secured Sam and Tucker to the wall. She then backed up and looked at her row of prizes and frowned. No, this would not do! This would not fit into her method at all, especially when she hadn't gotten all that she wanted yet. She hurriedly re-arranged the five ĉerkos.

The Guardian didn't miss or misunderstand the hateful glares she got from Vlad and Skulker as she callously jerked them and the others about while she sorted the ĉerkos. After all, she really didn't care how they felt about anything, much less why she might want the two young humans. She privately scoffed at and easily dismissed her next thought: _why_ they would _even care_ about any of the others when they were wicked ghosts themselves?!

She refused to dwell on the matter any longer as she continued to secure the ĉerkos. Instead, she chuckled only to herself when some of her eyes drifted over to the two alert victims again, _"At least those two are as quiet as the others. Perhaps they are already resigned to their fate!"_ But then, she frowned with that thought, " _But Ĉasista does not want that, or else they will not be desirable for her plans!"_

She huffed a bit as she finalized her task. She backed up once again and rechecked the ĉerkos. Yes, this was the correct order!

And now was the time for the final preparation for her plans.

Plasmius and Skulker were now too far away from each other. They weren't in the least happy that they could no longer speak to each other without the spider spirit hearing them. Still, if they now had to be on their own, they might as well do their best to struggle with their bonds. But after a few minutes of stubborn resistance from both captive and ĉerko, the two allies stopped. And shortly after that, each of them shifted into a survival mode, which meant it was time to put their analytical and meticulous skills to the test. They had already been studying Ĉasista's mannerisms to detect any kind of flaw she might have that they could use to their advantage. But now, they needed to also concentrate on scrutinizing Ĉasista's lair for any clues on how to get out of this mess.

But then, Vlad noticed that Ĉasista was making more webbing. He suddenly felt a lump in his throat. Though at first he rejected the thought, he really couldn't deny that he knew why she was making it! After all, it wasn't coincidental that Daniel's friends were here. Those two were practically the boy's third and fourth appendages, so Daniel wouldn't have been too far from them if they were in danger. The older hybrid paused. Or would he? After all, Ĉasista had used Skulker as bait for him. Why wouldn't she use the same method to trap Daniel? It was a strong possibility. But… it still wouldn't explain why the two teens had been captured _at the same time_ as that future ghost. No. Daniel _had been_ with his friends when they somehow encountered that future ghost. Maybe he had escaped being captured on that round. And that would mean…

Vlad couldn't help feeling apprehensive about his gut feeling. It didn't matter if he didn't want to admit it to himself: he still cared what happened to the younger hybrid in spite of their last sour encounter, in spite of the fact that they were still enemies even after all that they had gone through together when they were prisoners of the Observants.

His thoughts of concern took over when he saw the spider making what look like another ĉerko. _"If Daniel had been able to escape being captured by Ĉasista when his friends didn't, that would only mean that he would be looking for his friends. And if Daniel was looking for his friends, he wouldn't be ready for Ĉasista when she tries to capture him again. He must see that his friends are merely bait for getting him captured!"_

Suddenly, Vlad's memory snapped back to his own capture and he immediately rejected that entire round of thoughts concerning the younger hybrid, " _Enough of this! Why should I care one way or the other about Daniel, much less his insignificant friends? And he would deserve whatever Ĉasista has planned for him or his friends if he doesn't ignore that 'silly hero complex of his' and just save his own hide! Like I need to be thinking of doing right now anyways!"_

The older half-ghost thought on how he should go about breaking free. Maybe he should try different intensities of his powers. If he found the threshold of those incapacitating zaps, he might be able to use that lower intensity over a period of time to weaken his bonds… not unlike the slow-cook method. He smirked at the thought and concentrated, all the while keeping one eye on the spider's movements. But he soon could tell that his idea wouldn't work. In fact, it almost seemed as if the webbing had read his mind! No matter how small the intensity of power that he delivered to his bindings, it seemed as if the webbing would magnify that power and send it back to him—resulting in a memorable smite, of course.

After a few more attempts at varying the intensity of his ecto-power—which included cursing himself for being so stubborn when he got zapped again—Plasmius tried just pulling against his bindings with just his strength. He was slightly encouraged when he felt them give a little bit, but he frowned when they just tightened right back up! Obviously, anything he did was not enough for it to matter at the moment.

Meanwhile, Skulker wasn't at all satisfied that Ĉasista had now placed Vlad further away from him, but that for some reason she had placed _Tucker_ near enough to him that should the boy awaken, they could whisper to the other without drawing attention to themselves. He frowned in displeasure at the silent boy. Not that he cared to do that. After all, it was quite clear at their last encounter that there was nothing but enmity between them. In fact, if it wasn't for this whelp's _interference,_ he would have been alerted to Ĉasista's trap! So, for all he cared, it was every man—er, and ghost—for himself! The ghost frowned even more for letting his emotions take over! It was time to get to work! And, Skulker continued to wrack his ghostly brain for any idea on how to escape, all the while pulling against the webbing.

But then, one of the cyborg ghost's eyebrows shot up in a mixture of dread and curiosity when his eyes drifted over to the spider. He could tell that Ĉasista was in the process of making _another_ ĉerko.

And indeed, she was. She fed even more electricity and poison into it before she wobbled over toward the entrance of the lair.

Now that the diffuse light had dampened in this area when she entered the short hallway leading to the entrance, Skulker could see her backside and its odd shadow dancing grotesquely against the wall of the entrance. He surmised that she was about to launch another ĉerko to capture another unsuspecting ghost. But who could that be?

He by chance glanced at the unmoving Tucker again. He then then jolted when he guessed whom it _had_ to be!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Danny woke with a start and realized he was hurling through the atmosphere. He tried to fight off the dizziness and regain control of his unplanned, haphazard flight after Evil Dan had been able to hit him squarely in the chest.

After what seemed like minutes, but were only moments, he was able to regain control of his trajectory and slow to a stop. But he had to float in mid-air and wait for a few minutes longer while shaking his head until it cleared. But he didn't wait for his head to totally clear before he quickly examined himself. He was both relieved and puzzled by the fact that he didn't have a big gaping wound in his chest! He didn't even think that it was because he was a level-nine ghost who could withstand more attack.

" _No time to figure that out!"_ he mused only to himself before he hurriedly scanned the Realm Beyond Time's atmosphere. When he couldn't find what he was looking for, he then gasped, "Where's the big jerk?"

Since his sense of direction was dampened in this realm, he wasn't sure where he had ended up in reference to where he had last encountered his evil alternate-self. He darted forward, searching frantically around him when he spied…Clockwork's tower in the far distance!

The young half-ghost poured on more speed as he headed toward the landmark, all the while frantically searching all around him. When he saw that there was nothing but empty space as far as he could see, he gasped in a slight panic, "Oh, no! Where's Sam and Tucker?"

Now very worried, he soared over to the area where he had last seen his friends, all the while mentally calling out to them.

But they didn't answer him.

He flew more quickly and erratically in several random directions as he frantically hunted for any signs of his friends. At least he hadn't seen any remnants of their jetpack—which was not a settling thought at all. After all, he didn't want to even think that his evil-self had been able to waste them.

But then, where were his friends?

And yet again, where was the wicked ghost?

As the teen ghost continued to fly all around in a frantic search, he began to look more like a pinball being hit all around the inside of a pinball game machine. He tried to squelch the panicking feeling that was threatening to overtake his anxiety. But then, he scrunched up his face and had to jolt to a sudden stop when his ghost sense fired off.

Moments later, he saw a mysterious red-and-black glow appear not too far from him!

"What is that?" he blurted out when a few milliseconds later a strange reddish-black portal formed. And black sparks of electricity were shooting out from it!

His eyes widened in recognition as he gulped, "That looks a lot like the one that swallowed up Skulker!"

But then he gasped in alarm when it suddenly moved toward him, "Yikes! But that one didn't move as fast as this one is right now!"

The ghost teen darted away from the entity just as it shot past him.

But it turned sharply around and resumed its chase.

"Whoah!" Danny breathed out loudly when he barely avoided another brush with the wobbling portal. "I never wanted to know what a matador felt like being charged by that angry bull!"

He yelped as he evaded yet another attempt at the portal to collide with him.

Aiming to increase the distance between them, Danny then turned and flew in the opposite direction before the portal had a chance to turn around. He poured on his supersonic speed a core-beat later.

But the boy's eyes widened when he glanced back. It looked as if he had merely infuriated the portal, because not only did it charge even faster at him, the sparks flying from out of it had intensified!

Still, he managed to avoid entangling with it yet again. But this time, Danny frowned in irritation.

"Time to turn the tables!" he quipped before he stopped and prepared himself.

And just as the portal neared yet again, Danny let loose his ghost wail. The boy's power violently snuffed out the portal's energy and it disappeared!

"Whew!" Danny breathed out in relief, only to hitch in his next breath when it reappeared dangerously close to his left!

As if he were a high-board diver, the young half-ghost twisted violently to his right and downward, narrowly escaping the phenomenon one more time.

But Danny didn't wait for the portal to attack this time. As soon as he was far enough away but still able to see it, he shot several ice beams from his hands and eyes at the strange portal that was still above him, hitting it squarely.

The powerful cold beams slammed right into it and crystallized the entire thing upon impact. The boy didn't hesitate to follow up with a powerful, thick green ecto-plasmic ray and the frozen portal burst outward and disintegrated.

Once more, Danny's shoulders fell in relief, only for him to tense them again when he saw yet _another_ reddish-black glowing portal form within a few feet to his right and surge at him.

He darted hard to his left this time, but in his efforts to push away that rapidly, his right arm had swung up and out and the fingers of his right hand just brushed the portal.

As if it were glue, at first, he couldn't pull his hand away. Electricity instantly traveled up his fingers and dug into his hand and up his arm before it began to travel toward the rest of his body!

Though Danny yelled at the sting and felt his head begin to swim with the voltage pounding into him, he still managed to form a shield of ice around his arm which sizzled and burst into water vapor at the attack.

But it was enough insulation for the teen to pull away completely and soar away in an unbalanced flight.

Though his vision was now blurry, he rushed away as fast as he could even when he felt he had been drained of energy as quickly as an overwhelmed battery.

As he pushed more of his energy to move even faster, he chanced to look back behind him again and gasped in both disbelief and panic. That black-and-red portal, with black electricity reaching out to him, was after him again and closing in fast!

Danny concentrated into digging into his inner self as he continued to fly as fast as he could.

But suddenly, inexplicably, the portal appeared right in front of him in spite of his efforts to avoid it! And it was pulsating with even more electricity!

The boy swooshed to a hard left, barely avoiding it—unfortunately, not avoiding it enough, for this time, his spectral tail just brushed the outer border of the portal and instantly zapped him with more electricity.

"Yeoww!" Danny yelled as he poured on more speed even when that jolt made his head swim more and extinguished his attempt to dig into his inner self.

Nevertheless, the boy continued in more of a zig-zag pattern of flight as he flew onward. Every once in a while, he looked back and saw that the portal was still after him and shortening the distance between them. He shot several beams of dark green ectoplasmic energy at it, only for it to absorb it and glow even more.

"Yikes!" he yelled, "Did I just feed that thing more energy? So not good!"

The young hybrid wished he could use his ghostly wail on it again, but he couldn't be flying when he did that. And he and it were flying too fast for him to use his wulf claws to get out of this area all together.

Suddenly an idea pushed through his murky mind. He immediately acted upon it and produced two replicas, which immediately veered away from his current flight path.

But much to his dismay, the portal didn't alter its pursuit of his real course.

"Okay, Fenton, it's time to give it all you got," he said with determination as he reabsorbed his clones and concentrated as best as his dizziness would allow him.

But then, he gasped when the portal suddenly shifted violently to his immediately right and he had to dive downward this time to avoid it. It was as if he was doing battle with a yo-yo—which wasn't too far from the truth!

Now panicking, Danny kicked in his supersonic flight.

With a powerful whoosh, he opened the distance between the portal and him, all the while looking back to make sure that the distance between that entity and him was expanding. But then, when he finally looked ahead, he gasped in dread. In his desperate attempts to avoid that aggressive portal, he hadn't realized that he had retraced his flight back toward Clockwork's tower and his supersonic flight had practically teleported him there before he could react.

The teen yelled as he rammed right into the strong fortress and began to ooze down its wall.

But his movement downward was cut short when the portal finally caught up with him and swallowed him up!

Danny screamed in extreme pain as the black electricity bit into him and his blurring vision saw something red begin to engulf him before it bled into complete blackness as he lost consciousness.

A barely noticeable sigh could be heard just above where the portal had appeared and disappeared with its prize.

Clockwork had been watching all along from one of the windows of his castle with a tense and yet emotionless face…

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Ah-hah!" Ĉasista's voice echoed down the short hallway from her the entrance to her lair to the chamber where Sam, Evil Dan, Plasmius, Skulker and Tucker were still secured.

The volume of the spider's voice was so loud that Vlad and Skulker could clearly hear everything she was uttering. But, of course, the other three prisoners were still unconscious.

"Oooh!" she erupted almost gleefully as she clambered over to the thick glowing rope of webbing and tightened her hold on it with the two front legs. "This one is a fighter!"

Though Vlad and Skulker only saw her backside bobbing back and forth like a cork floating in a choppy lake, they both knew that she must be 'fishing' for another ghost. Nevertheless, the grotesque shadows that she threw behind her seemed as involved in what was obvious a very lively fight.

"Heh-heh!" she exclaimed when the two allies could see her briefly surrounded by a dark green glow. "You are an impressive one, but not for long!"

Still, after several fervent minutes, the spirit was backing up and the two allies could see that she still wrestling with her 'line'.

But then, the Guardian growled in irritation when some ice crystals sloughed off of her. This was taking too long! She didn't have this much trouble with the others within her power right now. She poured more energy into the webbing between her forelegs and it dutifully skirted away from her and toward her prey.

Finally, she cackled in triumph when she fully re-entered her main chamber while she began to 'reel' her webbing back in as she had done when she had captured Evil Dan and the teens.

Vlad and Skulker tensed when they finally saw a relatively small glowing ĉerko at the end of that webbing being dragged closer and closer to the spider.

And just as if she were a famished animal, Ĉasista immediately tore into the glowing receptacle once it was within her clutches. She unconsciously turned toward Vlad and Skulker and unwound the top half of the ĉerko as she had done before until only the head and shoulders of her victim.

"Daniel!" Vlad couldn't help but gasp when he caught sight of the boy.

Had the older hybrid not seen the boy's listless head, he would have still known that the boy must have been unconscious or else he would've been certain that he would have heard Daniel exchanging insults even with such a powerful creature as Ĉasista by now!

Still, Plasmius also couldn't help but be worried about the boy because even he wouldn't want to admit that he wouldn't have wished this kind of dire predicament even on him. His face puckered in slight alarm when the spirit brought Daniel up to her hideous face as she probably did to him and definitely did to the others, smelled him and then promptly sunk her fangs into him as she both sampled his ectoplasm and injected her venom into him. His skin instantly paled as his body absorbed the poison.

In the next instant, however, she scrunched up her insectoid face. This ghost tasted very, very _bitter_ to her! Just like the Plasmius…and like the two ghosts-to-be. What could that mean?

She wasn't going to entertain that thought any longer. Once she was finished with that, she then turned the limp boy this way and that, scrutinizing him and then puckering her face in slight bewilderment.

As she glanced between Evil Dan, Vlad and Danny, she mused only to herself as she continued to look at Danny, "Odd that this one is like the blue-haired one, but yet not like him. And his also like—and not like— the other blue-faced one….Still, it is very strange that this one also has running in his veins the _same_ spirit power that the ghosts-to-be have…the most fascinating creature here for sure."

She paused a bit more when what Vlad had blurted out finally registered in her brain. " _Hmm, seems the Plasmius knows this one. Is his name 'Daniel', then?"_

Something else bother the spider when she remembered how each of these powerful ghosts tasted like, but she couldn't put a finger on it at the moment. But she didn't worry about that for now. All she cared about is that she had them within her power…and all for her when she wanted.

She looked at Danny hungrily all of the sudden. But, she stopped short of it as she continued to converse only with herself, _"Now, now. Do not be hasty, Ĉasista! The method that has always been used has never failed. The only difference between this time and the last is that the choice will be more interesting!"_

As if mounting a trophy, Ĉasista carefully secured Danny so that he was in between Vlad and Skulker.

The spirit stepped back and examined her row of victims, which from left-to-right were: Sam, Evil Dan, Vlad, Danny, Skulker and Tucker. Even though the Guardian had more than what the cosmos demanded of her and the first phase of her plans was done, she might as well use _all_ of her trophies for her more important plans. True, that would mean that she would have to go get some items from the deepest chamber of her lair soon. She paused. The last time she had checked on those items, they weren't quite…ready. But that was a while ago. Maybe they were now…She would have to go check again. But for now…

…which one of her trophies should she start with first?

She immediately hobbled over to Skulker.

The cyborg ghost pulled himself upright when he caught a whiff of her before he saw her approach. He could tell that she had more than mischief on her mind as she approached him with all eight of her eyes looking as if they were hungry.

But the spider stopped just short of attacking him and brought up one of her forearm claws.

Stroking his robotic face gently at first before digging into it forcefully enough to form a straight scratch downward in its surface, she hissed, "You are not worthy to witness what Ĉasista has in her plans! But she will deal with you soon enough!"

With that, she lunged for the robotic ghost, and one of her forearm claws yanked off his head, while the other grasped the tiny ghost, and quickly brought him close enough for her to bite into him!

Without giving her the pleasure of hearing him cry out in pain, Skulker scrunched his eyes and mouth tight before his body went limp almost immediately from the large amount of poison she poured into him.

"Ha-hah, pathetic creature!" the Guardian growled as she roughly dropped him back within his robot shell and sloppily plopped the metallic head back on.

All eight eyes danced in mirth as seeing how twisted the head looked on the robotic body now, as if the neck had been broken. But then, those same eyes inadvertently drifted to the robot's reconnected eye, the one that Skulker had shot over to revive Vlad.

"Hmm, maybe not so pathetic," she mused even as her spinets spun new webbing and reinforced the head to its body.

In the meantime, the only other being who was lucid was Vlad. All during the time she was inspecting Daniel, he had kept quiet and observed her. But then, after the spider had secured Daniel in 'his place' and Ĉasista had backed up, Vlad furrowed his brow in confusion because the spirit seemed to be admiring him and the others. But then, his eyes widened in alarm when she suddenly lunged at the area next to Daniel, which could only be Skulker!

The older hybrid strained his neck to see what was happening, but the large ĉerko encasing Daniel was blocking a straight view. He closed his eyes and struggled even harder against his bindings. His heart leapt a bit when he felt a section near his left hand begin to give, which was on the same side as Daniel.

But then, when he opened his eyes for a visual inspection of the area, his gasped when the first thing he saw was Ĉasista's face right in front of him! He never heard her approach him!

"Tsk-tsk, pet," the spider spirit almost chuckled, though the tone was barely amused. "You are stubborn, indeed, the Plasmius, more stubborn than the Skulker. A very desirable quality to be sure. But, there will be time enough for the choosing."

Just as she lifted up one of her pincers in order to caress his cheek, Vlad pulled on his bonds and defiantly yelled, "Do not touch me, you wretched creature! You do not know with whom you are dealing!"

This time, the female spirit's chuckle sounded evil and patronizing, "Oh, but Ĉasista _does_ know with whom she is dealing, worm! That is why you are here! But she will not explain more until the time is ripe! And she cannot have any of her pets wondering while she is away!"

Before Plasmius could utter another word of protest, the spider displayed her fangs, yanked Vlad's head to the side and plunged her fangs into his ghostly flesh!

Vlad gritted his teeth with the initial pain before he felt his mind floating away. A few moments later, Ĉasista's poison took a firm hold of his senses and his head fell completely to his side as his skin turned green.

Ĉasista pulled back just enough to frown as she did when she had bitten the youngest ghost. This one _still_ tasted bitter.

She thought it over a few more seconds. Yes. Now that she recalled when she had consumed the webbing around each of them, they had also tasted bitter. She wasn't sure what that meant, but she also knew by their samplings that they tasted similarly to each other; but they also tasted similarly to that other more powerful ghost—and yet that ghost, who was Evil Dan, didn't taste bitter at all!

The spider suddenly decided that it wasn't important for her purposes! Instead, she looked over the results of her hard work. She was very satisfied with her plans on how she was going to deal with each of her victims. But first, it was time to go to the deepest chamber of her lair and check on those things that she needed. Maybe they would be ready…

As she waddled toward the entrance that would lead down into the bowels of her abode, the spider smugly thought, _"The timing is delicate and must be precise. And she must make sure that what she needs is ripe…If all is suitable, then Ĉasista will see which of her pets is the most useful…."_

She then puckered her face to its most hideous and evil form and mentally added, _"…and which of them will be_ _ **destroyed**_ _!"_

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 **A/N: Well, there you have it! I was hoping that Danny wouldn't get caught, but Ĉasista is definitely a persistent creature when she has her mind set into doing something. Hope you are as persistent as Ĉasista and will drop some of your thoughts down in that little box just below this note. I can guarantee that Ĉasista is not waiting to ensnare you in it! Thanks for reading and I hope to hear from you soon!**


	17. Chapter 17 Starting the Fire

**A/N: Hiya, everybodee! Yep, it's that time again. I hope you're ready to turn up the suspense, so let's get to it! Don't forget the silly disclaimer that I don't own any DP character. Enjoy the show!**

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Entanglement—Chapter 17—Starting the Fire

Ĉasista stood on the threshold of a what looked like a precipice that would lead her to the deepest part of her lair. However, what was beyond the threshold wasn't a precipice at all, but actually was the entrance to a deep tunnel that plunged sharply downward once she would enter it. She had designed it that way to ensure the protection of her treasure below. Any creature not familiar with its design would meet an unpleasant end. Yet, the entrance to that tunnel, which was hidden behind a protuberance in the wall of the main chamber, wasn't too far from where Ĉasista's victims were.

But just as the Guardian was about to prepare to shoot several strands of webbing from her spinets into that tunnel, her mind drifted…

The last time she had checked this remote area of her abode, nothing had been ready. Only a select few of her most cherished possessions looked like they were on the verge of ripeness; but she knew that even those wouldn't be enough to use on the three victims she originally had thought she would get. And now, she had three more of them! She paused. True, the Skulker and the male ghost-to-be—who she didn't know was named 'Tucker'— were essentially useless; and she shouldn't even count them. And, really, there was no rush to get rid of those two, especially when they were the weakest of the victims and could offer only a paltry—if any—resistance when she was ready to destroy them.

A smile suddenly coated her insectoid face. She planned to feast on the Skulker herself soon after her original plans came to fruition. After all, his unique energy would mesh quite well with her own and enhance her hunting skills even more.

And the male ghost-to-be? She would feed him to the _Angeli_ soon after devouring the Skulker, and, of course, after discovering that human's secrets!

He grotesque face almost cracked as she smiled in more satisfaction at her next thought, " _Though Ĉasista might not have enough of her treasures ready, she can still harvest from the remaining_ _ **four**_ _."_

The Guardian peeked slightly around the bulge in the wall and glanced at the row of her victims. She knew that all that she needed to do was collect whichever items were ripened now, and then slow down what she had in mind for her victims enough so she could later add and then use more of her hidden treasures when they were finally ready.

She chuckled only to herself as she mentally added, " _Indeed, this is a clever plan, Ĉasista, for she is always satisfied with making her victims' demise slow and painful anyways…Besides, that will not interfere with what the kosmos demands."_

As she surveyed the group of ĉerkos again with hunger this time, all of her eyes inadvertently fell on Sam.

The spider's face scrunched up into a grotesque smirk as she thought, " _Ah, yes, that one. Ĉasista will absorb that ghost-to-be's spirit energy and then she will feed what was left of her—if there was anything worth left, that is—to the Angeli as well!"_

Finally focusing back on her original task, the spider shot out several threads of her sticky webbing. And as they charged down through the long, deep, and plunging tunnel, they twisted together until a very strong rope formed. And as if the leading end of the rope was an arrow, it soon plunged into and anchored itself to the bottom of that channel. She then secured the other end to the threshold. Once again, she had planned it this way. Not only would her treasures be safe, but she also would get to her designation in hardly any time.

As if Ĉasista was a talented tightrope walker, she jumped onto the thick webbing rope and began to slither downward. The further she descended, the colder it got, as if she had purposely added a freezer to her lair—which for all intents and purposes, she had done. And as she neared the frozen heart of her abode, she could feel the hunger in her core burn, a desire that was within her from the moment she came to be. Not only could her victims' powers be absorbed by her and enhance the same powers within her, but she would be able to complete her more important task—which would require the powers of only very special ghosts.

The spider swiftly moved toward the target area. The cold didn't bother her at all. Her hard, outer ecto-skeletal shell and very, very hot core kept her at the perfect temperature at all times. In fact, her spirit core was the hottest one that existed in the Ghost Zone or any of the other Spirit Realms. After all, how intense a ghost or spirit's core was—whether it was hot or cold or in between—was directly linked to how powerful it was on the Fantomos Ecto-Scale of Power **[1].**

She then landed on a small plateau where her original webbing had been anchored to. She quickly shot out even more webbing out from her spinets, entwined them together, and catapulted the end of that thicker rope downward until it, too was anchored down below her. She tugged on the webbing. Once satisfied that the tension on that webbing was firm enough, she connected the near end of it to the piece she had just been using before she delved even deeper.

Suddenly, she saw a thick layer of ice just ahead. This wall of ice was the entrance to the spider-made vault that contained her most precious jewels.

When she arrived and was right in front of the frozen entrance, she prepared herself. Suddenly, her huge abdomen began to swell before it actually partially constricted; and then repeated that same action over and over again, with her abdomen growing in size with each pulse of that pump-like action. As her abdomen swelled, it looked as if some creature was inside of it and was trying to get out, only for the hard exoskeleton to press it back down.

But there was no other creature within Ĉasista's belly. What she was doing was stirring the power in her core to nearly its fullest level, as if she were a living bellows stoking a furnace. And just when she thought she had pumped enough, two of her forward spinets shot the sticky webbing out; only this time, these two threads were impregnated with so much heat that they were as red and hot as molten lava. But as the two threads converged, the pattern they created was far different than her normal cold, grey webbing. Instead of being braided, there were convex and concave areas not unlike the threading seen on screws. And the combined rope rotated so quickly on its central axis that it really was like a drill as it bit into the thick wall of ice.

The ice wall, in turn, sizzled and popped from the intense heat being drilled into it and soon, that area was covered in water vapor.

Finally, the webbed drill carved out a fairly large hole in the wall that was just big enough for the spider spirit to enter. She clambered in; and as the light from her aura filtered in and dully lit up the area, she headed toward the farthest area of this chamber.

The pile of circular objects just ahead gleamed in the dull light that had oozed into their chamber.

Ĉasista stopped right in front of the pile and gently picked up one of the orbs. She gently tapped its surface and her aura's glow intensified with her glee. At least this small pile was ready!

She then seemed to essentially caress the translucent orb she was still holding before she cooed, "Ĉasista had been successful in your needs. Soon, each of you will benefit from the hunt!"

She went over to another pile and lifted up a sample. Her insectoid face frowned after she had carefully flicked its shell. She would have to wait a while for these to be ripe. She checked two more piles, which were as unripe as the second set.

She would not let that discourage her at all. She had plenty of victims and plenty of time…

The spider spirit waddled over to the pile that contained the ripe orbs. She then sprayed a tiny coat of webbing over the bottom surface of her abdomen. One-by-one, she carefully lifted the soft balls and gently pushed them into that sticky film coating her abdomen.

After placing a little more than a dozen of the glistening orbs on the underside of her belly, she mused, _"Yes, these will do for now. More than Ĉasista had imagined. Let us return to our prey, then. And she will not be satisfied until she knows all of their secrets!"_

Meanwhile….

A soft groan echoed slightly in the part of the lair that held Ĉasista's prey…And then, another groan erupted.

Finally, Tucker opened his eyes and gasped when his vision cleared…if he wanted to call it that since there was only a very diffuse light emanating off of the webbed wall. In fact, it was as dark as the world was when it was right on the brink of dawn. But he couldn't have known that he might have awoken to total blackness instead, since the amount of light in here depended on the will of the spirit who dwelt here. Normally, the wall did glow at all times. But whenever Ĉasista wanted to sneak up on any of her prey, she was able to absorbed what light the webbed wall had back into her own aura for as long as she needed before the wall would finally recharge its energy and glow. After all, if the webbing didn't already generate some sort of charge, then Ĉasista wouldn't be able to have all of that electricity ready for her disposal.

"W-Where am I?" the dark-skinned boy quietly moaned.

And then, he gasped again when he had tried to move and couldn't. Instead, he heard a sickening sound that could be likened to getting his foot caught in deep mud and then struggling to get it out.

"Yech!" the teen exclaimed, "What is this stuff?"

Suddenly, however, when his thoughts finally cohered enough for him to recall his last memories, he gasped, "Sam! Sam?!"

But all he heard was silence. He pulled even harder on his bindings, only to find out that it was in vain.

Then Tucker's shoulders slumped when all of the negative feelings that got him into all of this trouble came crashing down, and he thought, _"Of course, I'd end up like this! Alone…without any weapons…And, more importantly, without my PDA!...And I don't know where Sam is! Or Danny! Yeah, so, okay, I'm so scared right now that being mad at him is the last thing on my mind!"_

He mentally cringed at his last thought and added, _"That was kinda weird! But I don't think it matters 'cause I'm in a big enough mess already which I can't get out of—literally!"_

Suddenly, the boy froze when he swore he could hear metal scraping against metal—right. next. to. him!

He mentally blurted out, _"I don't even want to ask: 'what is that?'!_ ," before he cringed again and added, " _Weird, part two!"_

The boy he felt a chill run up-and-down his spine when he heard that same noise again. Though he was afraid to do so, he made himself turn his head toward the sound.

At first, he could see nothing there and relaxed.

But then suddenly, he yelled out in a panic and he felt his heart leap when the next thing he saw were two green glowing eyes that had appeared out of nowhere and seemed to be piercing right through him!

"Human? Is that you?" Skulker groggily asked. The ghost could hardly project his voice since his robotic head was still askew atop its body.

Neither of them knew that they had been the first to recover from Ĉasista's latest attacks because in the end, the spider hadn't injected any poison into the teen and he was just now recovering from being zapped by the portal that brought Sam and him here. And, of course, Skulker had rebounded quickly from the spider's poison because of his special nature.

Tucker frowned when he heard what sounded like a garbled but familiar voice projecting from those green glowing eyes. But a split second later, he knew who was behind that voice. And even though finding something familiar here helped him out of his funk, he was not in the mood to banter with Skulker after all that had happened between the ghost and Danny when his friend had been captured by Vlad. The younger male finally said with irritation lacing his voice, "You know my name is Tucker, Skulker."

"Very well, human Tucker," Skulker's odd voice replied. He could easily smell the ambiance around the boy and knew that Tucker was already very irritated with him. Still, he slightly hissed, "And keep your voice down! What are you doing here?"

Even though Tucker was peeved that the ghost had no right to demand that he keep his voice down, he somehow felt that it would be a good idea. With a quieter voice, Tucker dryly answered, "Uh, ditto on that question to you."

Skulker reluctantly admitted, "Well, it is now obvious that you, me, Vlad and…."

"Plasmius is here, too?" Tucker gulped in disbelief, "And where is 'here'?"

"No need to get excited, boy," Skulker said with some annoyance in his voice.

Tucker hurriedly interjected, "Not get excited? _Not get excited_? I'm in some dark creepy place, tied up with something gross that I don't want to think about and now I find out that I'm in some dark, creepy place with two of Danny's worst enemies who probably did all of this to me… and I'm not supposed to get excited?"

Somehow, the boy's words about Vlad's and his being the Ghost Child's enemies sent barbs into Skulker's core. Still, the cyborg ghost harrumphed but countered with a still-quiet voice, "I did nothing to you, whelp. Ĉasista brought Plasmius and me here and obviously brought you here maybe for the same reason why she brought me here."

Tucker's mouth dropped open before he whined, "'She'? Oh, great! So, some _girl_ brought us both here 'for the same reason'? Is so, she's got to be the dumbest….uh….whatever to think that you and I have anything in common, much less bring me here 'for the same reason'!"

Skulker's voice was now so serious that it actually scared Tucker a little, "Whelps! Always ready for histrionics! Ĉasista is not 'some girl'! She is a spider spirit, who dwells in and guards the _Sfero de Ĥaoso."_

Tucker startled slightly. He knew what the _Sfero de Ĥaoso_ was!It was the Realm of Chaos where the Angeli were! He gulped. Now he was in _deep_ trouble! So, then, _why_ was he here? Still, he didn't miss the rest of what the ghost was saying: "And she brought me here to lure Vlad here for some reason. She must have brought _you_ here to lure the Ghost Child here…though I am surprised Ĉasista did not bring _only_ the human girl here instead."

"Thanks," Tucker sarcastically said, though he had silently gasped in worry when he realized that Sam was that 'human girl'. Though he wasn't happy to know that Sam was also a prisoner of some icky spider spirit, he at least knew where she was. Still, he dryly continued, "And for your information, I was with Sam when I, uh, we, got caught…somehow, though I don't know how. And Danny wasn't _anywhere_ near us when we got caught! So, she couldn't have been after him…though I still don't know why she would want me—or Sam."

The teen suddenly gasped at his next thought. "B-But wait! Whatever happened to Evil Dude? He had just grabbed a hold of the, uh, h-hoverboard Sam and I were on before we, uh, got here…somehow. Though that's a major 'eww', did he get captured, too?"

Skulker replied, "Though I do not know who this 'evil dude' of which you speak, there was a very strong ghost who was also captured along with you and the girl. I do not know how he was able to even be in this timeline and dimension, much less get here!"

Skulker followed that remark with a hitch in one of his eyebrows.

Tucker knew by that look that Skulker had just given him that the Ghost Hunter might very well know whom Tucker had been alluding to when he had mentioned the 'evil dude'.

The boy then swallowed the sudden lump in his throat and tried to sidestep the ghost's last comment, "Aaah, like I said, I don't know where that 'evil dude', er, guy, went; and I still don't understand why that creepy creature you told me about wants with me and Sam."

Though Skulker frowned at the boy's obviously poor attempt at lying and evading his inferred question, he added, "The question now is, human: why is she still _keeping_ you or the girl here now that she has captured the Ghost Child?"

"Danny?! She's got Danny, too? Oh, no, how? So, where are they? Where are my friends? Oh, man, this is so not good!" Tucker yelled in sudden panic.

Now he could practically hear his heart pounding in worry for Sam and Danny.

"Oh, no, this is so my fault! If I hadn't…." but the boy couldn't go on for the moment.

"Control yourself, whelp!" Skulker quietly hissed. "You are lucky that I cannot smell Ĉasista anywhere near us right now and do not know why she has left. But, more importantly, she might return any moment and I, for one, do not want to be caught unawares, uh, this time when she does!"

Tucker swallowed a lump that had suddenly rushed up into his throat and instantly struggled against his bonds yet again—to no avail.

This time, Skulker noticed the boy's struggles and said, "You are in one of Ĉasista's cocoons of sorts, something she calls a _ĉerko_. That is how she captured all of us. It is a kind of trap and a portal at the same time." He suddenly smiled and said with a little bit of admiration in his voice, "And it is most unique and intriguing. It would make a perfect addition to my trophies."

"And you tell _me_ that I get too excited," Tucker dryly countered.

"Touché, whelp," Skulker wryly replied. "But as you can see, you have not been able to escape for a reason I cannot explain. After all, you are only human and should have been able to phase through with hardly a sweat."

Tucker stopped struggling and thought about what the cyborg ghost said.

" _Yeah, why can't I just phase through this?"_ he mused only to himself. But then, his eyes widened at his next thought, _"Because I'm not just 'human'. I have Spectre energy in me! Usually, that's been very cool, but right now, it's not!"_

In the meantime, Skulker had noticed the change in Tucker's face and he said, "What is it, whelp? "

The teen immediately put on a poorly-formed poker-face and replied, "I-I was just wondering the same thing, that's all."

One of Skulker's eyebrows shot up in surprise. He didn't buy that remark at all. But before he could comment, he stopped and suddenly sniffed the air, which Tucker noticed.

"Silence, whelp!" he suddenly yet quietly commanded. "Ĉasista is coming! Feign being still unconscious and perhaps she will spare the both of us for a little longer!"

Tucker gulped down his gasp at the news; but didn't argue with the hunter ghost about it. After all, he knew that the ghost was never wrong when he was using his hunter power. The boy quickly closed his eyes and brought his head down upon his chest to pretend that he was still unconscious. He barely heard her come into the area. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but pray that whatever this 'Ĉasista creature' was, she wouldn't notice that he was shivering with fright….

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Ĉasista finally emerged into the room from the depths of her lair. She moved even slower than she had leaving the room because she didn't want to dislodge the cargo she was carrying on her underbelly. She was too busy right now to check on her prey.

She shot out several sticky strings from all of her spinets and rapidly zig-zagged the threads along the floor of an area so that the pattern looked like a bedding of some sort—which, indeed, it was.

Then, as if she were moving objects made of delicate crystal, she carefully deposited the orbs taken from under her abdomen. Suddenly, she hitched in a gasp. She had accidentally dislodged the black gem that was in the middle of her underbelly and had been surrounded by the orbs! She chided herself. Though she had been concentrating on transferring the delicate orbs, she should have been more careful or else one of the barbs on her forelegs wouldn't have hooked onto the gem and pulled it out by mistake.

Not only did it hurt when she did that, but she could instantly feel her aura dim considerably and a drain in her power.

She suddenly stopped taking off the orbs and placing them on the bedding on the ground. Instead, she hurriedly secured the amulet in its receptacle on her belly. Once she was satisfied of the repair, she resumed her original task, being more careful to take heed of the gem as well as the orbs.

The spider spirit knew that she would have to wait a while before she would need her jewels—which was plenty of time for her to have things ready for them as well.

Once she was through with her task, she turned around and scanned the row of _ĉerkos_ which contained her delicious prey. She was pleased on how she had arranged them, which was done on purpose, as if she would be able to cross off a task on a list of things to do.

Ĉasista smiled and said only to herself, _"Which to start with is not the question, but when."_

Her eight eyes surveyed the cocoons all at once as a plan formed in her head. She knew that she had plenty of time before her main task would begin.

A grotesque semblance of a smile erupted on her insectoid face when all of her eyes then fell on Sam, who was still unconscious after being poisoned by the spider.

The large spirit thought only to herself, _"Firstly, Ĉasista must see why this ghost-to-be creature has what Ĉasista sensed when she had first tasted that ghost-to-be! In all of Ĉasista's existence, she has never heard of tales of humans possessing any kind of spirit power. If indeed it is so, then Ĉasista will have it! Rarely does Ĉasista capture a prey that possesses such spirit power, much less contained within a ghost-to-be of all creatures! But she knows that if this one does in truth have spirit power in its purest form, then taking it will strengthen Ĉasista's own, so that there will be no doubt of her victory over the more insignificant human ghosts!"_

Ĉasista then seemed to ooze over toward the only other female in the lair; and just as she closed the gap between them to her liking, she raised up one of her front forelegs. It immediately started to glow more brightly than the rest of her whitish aura. A few seconds later, Sam's body was encased in a red aura. Several thin strands of a red, glowing substance then pulled themselves out of the female teen's body and converged on the same glowing foreleg. And as if the strands were cotton candy being wrapped around a cardboard stick, they covered the spider's foreleg. Once all was gathered, the red aura around Sam dissipated and Ĉasista absorbed the red energy back into her abdomen.

Almost immediately, Sam began to stir to consciousness now that Ĉasista had commanded all of the poison to come out of the girl's body and return to their mistress.

"Ugh! My head!" Sam moaned since there was a slight lingering effect of the spider's venom. But then, the teen gasped in surprise and her eyes shot open when for some odd reason, she could sense….evil! Then, when she tried to move and couldn't, she looked down at the bonds she could tell were holding her tight and grunted in a mixture of irritation and chagrin.

But then, the girl glanced upward and she hitched in another gasp when her amethyst eyes finally focused on eight glowing red ones that were all focused on _her_! The human teen narrowed her eyes in irritation almost immediately after that even when she couldn't ignore how huge this creature was. Nevertheless, Sam steeled herself lest the glowing creature too much in her personal space sensed that she was scared. In addition, she was determined not to be caught off-guard and be placed in such a disadvantaged state again as she once was when she had been poisoned by Vlad when he had captured Danny several weeks ago.

"Who are you and what do you want?" the girl finally hissed in bravado. She ignored the echo in the area surrounding her when she had spoken.

Suddenly, Sam felt a painful pressure in her head. Part of it was a very _familiar_ pressure whenever she activated her telepathic powers. But the painful part? She knew whoever was trying to invade her mind was doing so aggressively and even brutally. And she knew that neither Danny or Tucker would do that.

Danny and Tucker! Where were they?

But then, she mentally gasped when the force trying to connect with her intensified and hurt even more. Somehow, she could tell it was this creature in front of her who was doing this to her! How did this creature know she had telepathic powers?

The girl mentally growled in determination. It didn't matter. She wasn't going to let this creature barge into her ultimate personal space! She focused in spite of the slight dizziness she still had from the poison and successfully blocked the spider spirit's entry into her mind.

"Ah-ha, a strong one and stubborn one at that! Interesting!" Sam heard with her ears rather than with her mind.

Though this creature's female-sounding voice raked on her nerves, Sam firmly replied, "I don't care what you mean even when it's obvious that you're _'not a friendly' one_! And you still haven't told me who you are or what you want!"

"Oooh, a feisty one as well!" Ĉasista actually cooed in intrigue and delight. "But she does not think you are in a position to demand anything, ghost-to-be!"

"'She'? Who's 'she'? And what you do you mean by 'ghost-to-be'?" Sam interjected, a bit frightened that this huge creature in front of her might only be the minion of another, more hideous being. Still, she had the nagging feeling that this creature was the one who had tried to invade her mind moments ago.

"So full of questions, too. Interesting, indeed," Ĉasista first replied, truly more intrigued and amused than irked by the girl's responses. She then humored the girl, "'She' is Ĉasista who is speaking to you, the Guardian and Ruler of the _Sfero de Ĥaoso!"_

 _"The Sfero de Ĥaoso?!"_ Sam accidentally blurted out, momentarily forgetting what the spirit had said right before that.

Ĉasista's face was somehow able to reflect curiosity as she replied, "Hmmmm…you know of it. How is that, ghost-to-be?

Sam quietly chided herself for slipping as she did; nevertheless, she threw those thoughts away and matter-of-factly answered, "A lot of humans know stuff about the Ghost Zone. It's no biggie."

"Ahh, so you say. But then, you should know what a 'ghost-to-be' is, correct?" the spider countered as her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

The human female nervously swallowed a bit but didn't answer.

The spirit sensed that the girl knew that she didn't believe her. This would then be a good opportunity to pressure the human creature more. So, the spider questioned, "And how is that Ĉasista's _ĉerko_ found such a creature as you when it only senses things that belong only to the Ghost Zone, eh, ghost-to-be?"

" _There she goes again talking about that other thing that must be her, er, master...Or wait. Didn't she say something about being the ruler here?_ " Sam only mused to herself. _"Maybe...And I can't ask her what the heck a 'ĉerko' is, either!" ._

The human girl paused a bit more as she thought, _"Yes, it's risky, but I've to find out what's going on."_

She finally replied, "First of all, I don't know why that, er, ĉerko found me…"

But suddenly, Sam barely hitched in a gasp when her thoughts came full circle. She hadn't been the _only one_ that had been in the area when she was captured!

Suddenly filled with worry, she mentally gasped and telepathically called out, _"Danny! Tucker!"_

But when she didn't hear from them, she was now worried in another way, " _And what about Evil Jerk?"_

Ignoring the large creature still staring at her, Sam hurriedly scanned the area around her and she bit her lower lip and her eyes widened when she saw….Evil Dan just about a yard from her and to her left! But where were her boyfriend and Tucker? Did they get captured, too?

Meanwhile, Ĉasista was growing impatient that the obstinate ghost-to-be hadn't answered her yet. But a few moments later, the spirit sensed that the human girl's emotions had suddenly shifted to more…vulnerable ones!

The spirit's mental assault on Sam this second-go-around was so intense that the human girl suddenly screamed with the pain!

In spite of the pain, however, Sam reflexively went into a defensive mode at the attack. But the more she tried to block Ĉasista from invading her mind, the more the pain increased. Nevertheless, in spite of the tears now rolling down her cheeks from the pain, Sam fought on for several more minutes. And just when she thought her mind might explode and she couldn't hold out any longer, she saw everything go black and she slumped into unconsciousness as surely as if Ĉasista had literally hit her on the head.

Ĉasista harrumphed at her failure to open the female ghost-to-be's mind for the second time! Though she was angry about her defeat, she was more confused about it. She had little dealings with humans. But she understood all about human _ghosts._

And the minds of those human ghosts who dared to invade this realm were as easy to penetrate as punching through a wet paper bag.

She then mused, " _But, Ĉasista sensed something significant about this puny ghost-to-be. Her hidden aura is more luminescent than ordinary humans; and that must be because, for some reason, she has indeed acquired spirit power, a power Ĉasista has sensed and recognized before. It is the only explanation why the female ghost-to-be has been able to resist Ĉasista. But as to why and how she has this power Ĉasista must know!"_

The spider spirit knew she would have to wait until the human girl had recovered; and so, her other eyes inadvertently shifted over to the others in her line of ĉerkos.

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Tucker, who had been feigning unconsciousness, startled when he clearly heard the echo of a voice—and it sounded a lot like Sam's! He strained to hear what she was saying when he suddenly heard another _louder_ voice…And the sound of that one sent immediately shivers up-and-down his spine.

" _Brr! If that's not Ĉasista, then someone forgot to turn off the horror flick!"_ he mentally gulped since he could clearly hear what the evil creature was saying. And he didn't like. it. one. bit.

He strained to hear Sam's response, but he then frowned. He could only catch a word or two since, unfortunately, it was obvious that Skulker's ĉerko made a great buffer as well as shield. He couldn't know that he was at the end of a line made up of six ĉerkos which had been secured along the back wall of the main chamber of Ĉasista's lair. If Ĉasista looked at the line head-on and from left to right, she would see Sam, Dark Phantom, Vlad, Danny, Skulker and then Tucker. Each ĉerko was near enough to each other for their victims to only see and hear the ones next to them, but not beyond those immediate ĉerkos.

But before the teen could think any more about it, he bristled when he heard Sam's telepathic cry riveting through his brain! He was about to mentally answer her when he could tell that his friend had severed the connection as quickly as she had opened it.

And then, he heard…nothing!

Now growing more worried, he struggled harder against his bindings.

But then, the dark-skinned boy hitched in a gasp when he suddenly heard Sam's outward cry…of pain! He strained to see where she was. He knew she was to his right, but he couldn't see since Skulker's ĉerko, which was also to his right, was still blocking his view.

In the meantime, Skulker, too, had been startled by Sam's outward cry. Somehow, he had managed to hold his tongue in response, and he, too, had instantly struggled to see what was happening—without success. He then turned back to Tucker when he could hear the boy's grunts. Though the ghost knew that Tucker was trying to break free again, the noise the boy was making was getting louder!

"You had better be still, whelp, or else you will be next!" Skulker managed to say in a low enough voice so that only Tucker could hear.

"Don't tell me what to do, Skulker!" Tucker commanded through gritted teeth, though he was able to keep the volume of his voice in check. "She's hurting Sam and this is all my fault!"

"Whether it is or is not your fault is no longer important, whelp! What is, boy, is to use your wits! Otherwise, Ĉasista might come at you for more mischief!" Skulker replied.

It didn't bode well with the Ghost Hunter that he felt a bit…helpless in his current situation; and that only left him testier than usual.

Though underneath Tucker had to agree, he still said worriedly, "If that means that she'll leave Sam alone, then I'm game!"

But suddenly, instead of yelling out for the spider to stop hurting his friend, Tucker barely stifled a grunt when he felt his head was about to split in two. He had never felt this kind of pain before. It was enough to knock the grit out of him and send him into unconsciousness!

"Human? Tucker?" Skulker carefully asked.

But then, he could see that for some reason, the boy's head was now hanging on his chest and he wasn't responding.

Skulker puckered his face in confusion. What could have happened to the whelp that would have caused him to lose consciousness that unexpectedly? The boy had seemed his annoying self one moment, and then ready to yell out in the next core beat.

Little did he know that Tucker had been knocked out through his telepathic link with Sam shortly after she had also been knocked out by Ĉasista's mental assault!

But the Ghost Hunter knew he couldn't say much more because he could smell that Ĉasista's massive body was beginning to move away from the girl and seemed to be moving toward him!

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 **[1] If you want to learn more about the Fantomos Ecto-Scale of Power, you'll need to read my story, "Gold Tested in Fire". (And please review!)**

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 **A/N: Well, readers, the fire has started, hasn't it? And there is much more to come. I hope you will place some fuel for my fire into that little box below—it will be very useful to my ego! Until next time, dear readers!**


	18. Chapter 18 Bringing the Pot to a Boil

**A/N: Hello, everybodee! Fall is finally beginning to act like Fall here in the South! And to celebrate, here's the next chapter of this story for you! You know the mantra about not owning any DP characters. But, thank goodness, I still own this story and OCs. Now it's time to enjoy the show!**

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Entanglement—Chapter 18—Bringing the Pot to a Boil

After Ĉasista had failed in trying to pry into Sam's mind, she started to move closer to Evil Dan, who was to the human girl's left. Suddenly, however, the she-spider skirted away and moved back to the opposite wall nearest the mass of objects she had brought from the bowels of her lair. Being as meticulous and obsessive as she was, the spirit slowly scanned the row of _ĉerkos_ one-by-one, starting again with Sam, then Evil Dan, Vlad, Danny, Skulker and Tucker. It had been hard for her to decide on the order from that quick examination she had done on each of her prey when she had first captured them; but she also knew that it wouldn't matter in the end. She refocused; and as far as she could sense, all of her victims were still unconscious; however, at this point she didn't know that only Skulker was the exception because she had purposely ignored him—and Tucker.

If the hunger in all of Ĉasista's eyes could have, they would have swallowed up all of her prey at once. But, of course, she knew she would still execute her plans slowly and carefully, like she always did.

Though the Guardian hadn't succeeded with the human girl, she wasn't daunted on moving forward. She knew it was time to examine each of her other victims—meaning _only_ the three most power ghosts—more closely to determine which would best serve her ultimate plans.

Suddenly, she was unsure. Each of those powerful ghosts was alluring for different reasons; but what she needed from each of them had to be exact…

"Hmm…" the spirit mused as she finally decided on her plan.

She shifted her body weight and slowly glided toward the other ĉerkos once more. "Which does she want to taste more of first?"

As she slithered forward, three sets of paired eyes separated and examined each of the remaining 'level nine or higher' ghosts; while the final pair merely glanced at Skulker and Tucker. When she was near enough, all eight eyes suddenly zeroed in on Evil Dan for several moments. He was the most powerful ghost of the lot, and she had placed him among the other _ĉerkos_ as she did with that in mind; and so, it would be logical to start with him.

But then, the spider paused as she regurgitated the sample she had gotten from him when she first had…tasted him. His hot core was nearly at the same temperature as her lowest measure, which meant that what she needed would be easily absorbed; and the power she sensed would be in its purest form. She paused and her eyes narrowed in thought. If this one was the most logical, he certainly was no match for her venom. She would have thought that this one would have been stirring by now. But since he wasn't, she shifted her gaze toward Vlad; and suddenly, she felt prodded to move toward him instead.

All of her eyes now inspected the older hybrid as she once again spewed up his ectoplasm, as if she would find the satisfactory reason why to pick him over the other two which she was most interested in.

Suddenly, Ĉasista frowned slightly. There was that taste, that _bitter_ taste again. This time, she reflected on why that might be…Was it perhaps because he was a _duone-fantomo,_ that is, a half-ghost, as the Skulker had claimed?

Nevertheless, the spider looked back at the older hybrid. She could tell that he, too, wasn't stirring, but his unique nature was very alluring and could be the most valuable for her purposes. After all, his core, like the other ghost she had just examined, was also very hot, but some of his power could be lost from the great difference in the temperature of each of their cores. His being a _duone-fantomo_ might also act as a resistance to her absorbing his power…

She threw that thought away. It really wasn't pertinent in the end...Besides, she wasn't in a hurry to act.

And so yet again, and even though she kept a pair of her eyes on the older hybrid, her body seemed to have a mind of its own as it gravitated toward the last of her powerful captives: Danny.

As if she were sampling a wine for its quality, she ruminated on the younger hybrid's sample as she studied the younger hybrid for what seemed like eons but, in reality, was only for a few minutes longer than she had examined the other two powerful ghosts. Once again, she couldn't ignore it: his taste, too, was as bitter as that Vlad Plasmius! How odd and what did that mean? Could it be possible that this young one was also a _duone-fantomo_ _?_

" _Preposterous!"_ she thought at the same time as she dismissed it. Instead, she re-focused on the youngest ghost in front of her.

"Interesting that one so young and even puny compared to the others should be their equal in power….And yet, Ĉasista senses that this young one's powers…is on the cusp of surpassing the others because, for some odd reason, he, too, has spirit powers…"

She paused in thought; and then a pair of eyes widened when she sensed a slight movement in Danny's head. All eight of her eyes then widened with delight. He was _stirring_ , so he must be ridding himself of her venom more quickly than the others! However, she could see that he was also having a hard time doing that.

Good.

" _Still interesting why she hadn't detected this minuscule yet significant difference amongst them all! Perhaps_ _ **he**_ _should be the one with whom Ĉasista should begin,"_ Ĉasista commented only to herself.

But then, her grotesque face hitched up into a frown. She hardly ever encountered ghosts with cold cores. And this one had a very rare, _very cold_ core, which meant that whatever she got from him could very well be greatly diminished—and may even be worthless—or even inadvertently destroyed, as many other ghosts she had captured who had cold cores. Was that maybe the reason why he tasted so bitter? Because of his cold core?

She quickly threw those interfering questions away. It didn't matter, because she had put the three powerful ghosts in the correct order after all. This one would be the hardest to break because of his cold core!

Now that her eight eyes flittered among the three powerful ghosts, she now understood that each of these three had his own special reason for the spider spirit's purposes.

That would only mean that she needed to _test_ them to see which was the worthiest of the three to be destroyed first…

Meanwhile, while Ĉasista was taking her time to act upon her plans….

"Whelp! Be quiet!" Skulker lowly hissed when he could see that Tucker was finally stirring again.

Even though Skulker was brave and didn't like being this sneaky, he was still practical. In addition, he hated to admit that he was a bit…afraid that the human boy would start moaning or yelling or do some other kind of human nonsense that would alert Ĉasista—especially when it looked at first that she had been heading toward him! Though he was secretly grateful that she had in the end veered back away from him, he still didn't want the boy to draw her attention to him! After all, Skulker had yet to come up with a plan to get himself—and at least Vlad— out this mess… Unexpectedly, that final thought cloaked his core with guilt about leaving _the others_ behind if he thought of an escape plan. But then, he huffed it off. He had _no bonds_ with these humans nor especially with the younger hybrid…Once again, he paused when the guilt flared up in his core as acid from a human's stomach did with indigestion.

" _Enough of this childish thought!"_ the Ghost Hunter mentally chided himself. _"I only need to make sure the human brat will not draw Ĉasista here until I have thought of a way of escape!"_ He then grinned at his next premature thought, _"I can be assured, however, that once I am free, I will never forget what genius it was that I did! It will be the epitome of skill for a hunter!"_

He suddenly frowned in more seriousness when he could see that Ĉasista was still preoccupied with the other ghosts and especially when he heard the human boy moan slightly.

He softly commanded Tucker yet again, "Human, silence! We are still in danger!"

"W-What?" Tucker murmured in slight startle, though, fortunately for him and Skulker, he did so quietly.

Skulker was privately triumphant with the human boy's reaction. Tucker must have heard—and more importantly—obeyed his command.

Indeed, Tucker's mind had reflexively obeyed the ghost's words while in the midst of coming to. The teen slowly opened his eyes and wondered at first if he really was at home in his room and that he had merely had had a nightmare.

But when the teen turned his head slightly to the right and saw the glowing aura surrounding Skulker while he tried to move at the same time—and couldn't—his mind snapped to full alertness.

Instead of having panic grip him, however, Tucker felt the weight of defeat and regret overwhelm him, but he more acutely felt regret. Here he was, literally stuck along with his friends, a few ghosts that he wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere near him —even if it were only in a nightmare — and a great big icky spider spirit who was going to do something dreadful to all of them. He shuddered at the thought….If he had just talked to his friends instead of pursuing that crazy idea, he would never have gone to the Forbidden Zone, or had gone to that alternate version of Amity Park….He would have never made a mess of things like being responsible for having such a wickedly evil ghost like Danny's putrid alternate version in this timeline and dimension. Heck, even after all that, he still didn't get that futuristic PDA that he had gone to get in the first place!

The dark-skinned teen could feel a lump form in his throat. He was the cause of all of this, and there was nothing he could do about it because without his PDA, he was just another helpless human.

More thoughts then escaped from his morose mind, and he let his head fall to his chest in near despair.

"Whelp!"

Skulker's quiet attempt to get the boy's attention actually startled him out of his discouraging thoughts.

Still, Tucker was in no mood to talk to the jerk, especially with his next thought.

"Whelp, did you not hear me?" Skulker repeated a bit louder, but not loud enough for the she-spider to hear. He knew he could chance this conversation because he could smell that Ĉasista was far enough away for now.

"What do you want, Skulker?" Tucker quietly hissed back. "Haven't you caused enough trouble? None of this would've happened if you had stayed in the Ghost Zone instead of attacking me and my friends in Amity a couple of days ago! And then, I wouldn't have done all that stupid stuff that has my friends in so much trouble! So, whatever you have to say won't help anybody, so just leave me alone!"

The boy then let twisted his head away from the ghost and his shoulders slumped in defeat.

Skulker was actually stunned by the boy's response. Even though they weren't exactly pals, he had learned a lot about this young human from the time they had to work together to save Vlad and the younger half-ghost from the Observants. He hated to admit it, but he…respected this human. And the thing that had impressed the Ghost Hunter the most was this whelp's doggedness and ingenuity whenever he —or his friends —were in danger.

Somehow, that thought both encouraged and discouraged the ghost because, deep down, tucked in the very center of his core, was the need to have…friends such as this boy and his friends…But he never thought he would see the day when he saw this young one actually giving up!

But the ghost grunted that thought away and replaced it with another private one, _"Alright, then, whelp! If you won't fight for yourself, perhaps you will fight for your friends!"_

Once again, that 'friends' word seemed to nick his core and make it bleed a bit, because he knew that the dark-skinned human would automatically think about the other half-ghost whelp and their mutual female friend as those 'friends' —and not _him_. In some ways, he could understand why the dark-skinned human could care less about Vlad and that other evil ghost. But somehow, the thought that the boy didn't have…friendly thoughts about him just didn't bode well with him—though he couldn't fully understand why he felt this way.

Skulker then growled in irritation at himself for having those…weak emotions! He was a hunter and hunters couldn't afford to _feel_ anything!

Hunters had to have clear minds to come up with any and all plans that could help them in their hunt —or in dire situations such as this one. Then, to the Oblivion with any semblance of sentimentality! His game was to use this resourceful human to his advantage —nothing deeper than that to think about!

Burying his melancholy thoughts deep down, the Ghost Hunter haughtily replied, "Your words mean nothing to me, whelp! All I care about is that you could be instrumental in escaping this place."

"Oh, really?" Tucker replied with some sarcasm. "First of all, why would I want to help you?"

"I did not imply myself in that statement, human!" Skulker grumpily countered. "I speak of your…friends. You said it yourself a few times already that it is your fault that they are here!"

Hearing those burning words from Skulker of all people, er, ghosts cut to the boy's heart because it was true. But it did more than shake him to his soul. It completely severed all of the morose thoughts from his brain, even when he winced when he had to admit that the ghost actually had inadvertently done that 'favor' for him. But, most importantly, it stirred that determination and ingenuity that Skulker admired so much.

Still, he wasn't going to let the ghost know that he had helped him, especially when he would _still_ have his PDA if it wasn't for Skulker!

The teen finally replied a bit icily, "Yeah, I would like to help my friends; but for your information, I'm very tied up right now and I don't have the only thing that could help us right now because my PDA was destroyed during your fight with us!"

Though Skulker didn't like hearing that again on more than one level, he kept focused on his task and tersely said, "For your information as well, whelp, all things ghostly do not work here as long as our auras touched the webbing surrounding us, and that would have included your ghostly PDA. So, it would not matter if it was here or not."

Suddenly, Tucker jolted in surprise when he heard the ghost's comments about his PDA loud and clear and unwittingly uttered, "Uh, how did you know that my PDA was a, uh, _ghostly_ one?"

One of Skulker's eyebrows arched in a 'I know-you know' look as he replied with a slightly playful grin, "You should never forget that I am the Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter. And you should never forget that when I first encountered that PDA in your possession, I could immediately smell the ghostly DNA impregnated in it…" The ghost paused slightly at the memory before he continued, "And I instantly knew its nature and that you somehow had taken that PDA from _me_ , er, and, Technus, though I do not know how that was possible."

The lump in Tucker's throat choked off any response for the moment. All that time that Skulker and he had worked together saving Danny and Plasmius from the Observants…Skulker _knew_ all about his PDA then, and yet, the ghost had said nothing about it —or, more importantly, had never tried to take it back, even when it was, sorta-but-not-really, his! Still, Tucker couldn't waste time thinking about that any more because it no longer mattered since it had been destroyed and he was back to square one with being totally helpless!

" _Heck, I can't even find my hands, much less move them or get to any PDA that I could have but don't!"_ Tucker slightly yet silently grumbled only to himself.

Before Tucker could even attempt at a response to the ghost, however, Skulker softly added, "But it is a pity that it is no longer at your disposal."

Tucker's eyes widened. Was the ghost actually apologizing in a weird sort of way?

But then, Skulker continued, but he was talking to himself more than Tucker. "And, of course, neither is _my_ PDA available to me. If it was, I could easily open a portal…" He hesitated and surveyed the cavern walls and added, "After getting out of this impenetrable place and out into the open atmosphere of the _Sfero de Ĥaoso_ _,_ that is. _"_

 _Sfero de Ĥaoso!_

Those words struck Tucker right between his eyes. Why couldn't Skulker make a portal as soon as he was set free—if that was even possible? And then the boy answered his own question. Because Skulker knew this area! He _had to_ or else he could not have captured Angelus-alvus a few weeks back.

And those thoughts led to others…especially on those concerning Angelus-alvus. Then, on a wild hunch, Tucker concentrated on reaching to his memories about that spirit. He shivered as the first impressions cleared in his head. But then, he remembered the connection that he and Sam had with the creature…the telepathic one. He frowned at an odd feeling about that, but those other stronger memories about how the spirit—like how terrifying and powerful it was—almost overwhelmed him and he suddenly pushed them all away…

Yet, an idea leaked out: what else did Skulker know about this place?

And Tucker blurted out, "Ahem. So, Skulker, why can't you open a portal right in here if you could, uh, escape?"

Skulker's eyes widened at the teen's question. He replied in a mixture of irritation and curiosity, "Really, it never ceases to amaze—and irritate—me that young humans who cannot see the whole picture still manage to ask such irrelevant things. The walls of Ĉasista abode—uh, you _do_ know that we are in Ĉasista's abode, right?"

Tucker frowned when he could tell that the ghost was clearly patronizing him. He sarcastically retorted, "Just forget about the whole thing, then. It's not like me _and_ the 'Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter' aren't too tied up to do anything else but talk!"

Skulker didn't answer him right away because once again, the boy's words cut into him. He even startled a bit at his next thought: they must have stung just about as much as the boy might have felt over what he had just said to him!

Finally, the ghost replied, "Alright, whelp. Maybe it is not such a futile idea to engage in idle talk since we have no other choice…And so, what I was saying, I cannot create a portal here because the walls in here are made of spirit energy. And a ghost cannot overcome spirit energy—especially a ghost with lower power like me—unless they have a weapon that contains spirit energy. It so happens that I do have that kind of weapon that I had fashioned from the Observant weapon you know I once retrieved; but even then, it would take time cut through and escape…and then, if I were to escape, and before I would want to make a portal, I would want to use that same spirit energy to help…"

Skulker suddenly stopped himself. Oddly, he felt his core constrict a bit when he was about to tell the teen that he wanted to take the time to help carve _only_ Vlad out of his _ĉerko_ before creating the portal. But he quickly huffed that feeling away. After all, the whelp had already made it clear that he was only interested in helping _his_ friends…

Somehow, Tucker could guess why the ghost had stopped. And he could kind of understand the conflict of Skulker's wanting to help only his friend, while Tucker wanted equally to help only _his_ friends. Yes, they both felt more of a connection to their respective friends, but weren't they also obligated to think of others as well?

Even so, Tucker said more softly and even sadly, "Hey, Skulker, don't sweat about all of this when we already have a lot of other things to sweat about…I was just hoping that, somehow, we could come up with a way to get out of this mess. And I thought it would help me a little to get more information about this place, well, just in case we thought of a way to escape, that's all."

Skulker's eyes widened when he could smell the hope in the boy change to defeat again. And he was then aware of a slight tingling in his core. The boy definitely said 'we'—twice! But then, he mentally scoffed it off as meaningless prattle. They could never be allies—even temporary ones like they once were. The past was the past and could not be undone! Still, he wanted to embrace that notion even as he rejected it. He paused a bit more…Though it was futile, perhaps it still wouldn't hurt to tell the whelp about what he knew about this place. But, he wasn't going to give the whelp the notion that he was doing this to be…nice…

The cyborg ghost said with a both a little hesitation and sternness in his voice, "Uh, perhaps it would not be so useless to discuss the hostile terrain that surrounds us here and the larger one just beyond this one. After all, sometimes recollecting old knowledge can lead to new ideas that a hunter like me could find significant."

Tucker rolled his eyes. And the Ghost Hunter accused _him_ of histrionics! Still, he listened diligently to every detail about the terrain of the _Sfero de Ĥaoso._

But as the teen listened, his eyes widened a bit when it sounded so...familiar. True, he had seen a terrain similar to what Skulker was describing when Sam and he 'saw' through Danny's and then Angelus-alvus's eyes when they were in Plasmius's simulation room a few weeks ago. But he thought that it had been made up like all of those other rigged fights the older hybrid had made his best friend suffer through. And that thought made him reflect on his earlier thoughts about the winged spirit…

Meanwhile, Skulker noticed the change in—and the smell surrounding—the boy and he stopped and remarked, "What is it, human?"

Tucker startled when he realized that he had drifted into his thoughts and that the ghost had noticed. He immediately replied, "Uh, nothing…ah, just thinking of some of those irrelevant thoughts that young humans commonly do, that's all…Go on..."

Skulker smirked suspiciously, but continued with his explanation.

Still, as the ghost talked, Tucker fell into his thoughts again. The memories of that experience he and Sam had with the _Angelus_ …He bit his lip as he thought more about it; but then, hope _—and an idea—_ began to swell in him.

He was now so focused on that newest thought that he wasn't aware that he had reflexively begun to struggle against the webbing keeping him immobile for yet another time. But then, Tucker suddenly stopped struggling when he felt something…different under the fingertips of one of his hands…He could tell that he had managed to worm his hands more downward than he thought because he knew he was at the crest of one of his pants' lower pockets. And the flip-top of it had come loose and he could feel one of the items that he had borrowed from Valerie before he had gone to Clockwork's Castle! Somehow, the evil Phantom hadn't detected it! Though it still made him feel icky all over to have the evil ghost paw at him, he was glad he had stopped shortly after he had started. Otherwise, the jerk would have discovered what he was feeling right now!

More hope and now determination to see his idea through spurred the bespectacled boy to put more effort into his struggle.

Meanwhile, Skulker had finished talking and couldn't help but notice the odd, yet violent twitching in the boy's ĉerko as Tucker strained to…reach…into…his…pocket…

Finally, Skulker was too curious; and felt compelled to say, "Just what are you doing, human? What I told you cannot possibly help you to attempt escaping now, especially when you have not been able to thus far —uh, even though I still do not know what has prevented you from doing so."

Though that comment slightly irritated the boy, he continued to push against his bonds. He was surprised that he was making some headway and could move his hand a little more and just enough to reach into his pocket and pull out…

Now both desperate and focused, Tucker hurriedly wrapped his left hand completely around that object, lest he lose control and cause it to fall down somewhere into his _ĉerko_ and be useless. And now that he was sure he was in as good control of it as any, he sighed slightly in relief. But he knew he had no time to waste….If he could only reach that…button.

Skulker's eyes widened when he suddenly saw something dully gleaming on the _other side_ of the boy's ĉerkos where the boy's left thigh might be. He couldn't possibly see a corresponding moving bulge in the same area. But in the next instant, the Ghost Hunter quickly hitched in a gasp when he heard a 'click' and a fluctuation in the dull green aura immediately afterward. He didn't miss the boy's soft grunts with his struggle to use whatever tool he had found.

But then, after several minutes of struggle, the teen stopped and exhaled in exhaustion and discouragement at the effort. He wasn't making a dent in his bindings! He had to try harder!

Skulker was about to say something, when the ghost suddenly saw the green aura surrounding that left side of Tucker's ĉerko intensify! If he wasn't so fascinated on how the boy could do that, he would be worried that Ĉasista might see the glow!

But, fortunately, the she-spider was too absorbed with examining her 'more worthy' victims. Besides, the right side of the teen's ĉerko and all the rows of ĉerkos to his right also did a good job of hiding what he was doing.

Then, after hearing the boy grunt in a bit more effort, the ghost saw that aura's intensity increased even a bit more before he heard a soft, but steady ripping sound as that glowing object continued in its upper trek.

Now a bit excited and alarmed, Skulker quickly turned to see what Ĉasista was doing. He relaxed slightly when he could see that she was hovering over that foreign ghost. He then took the chance to whisper, "Tucker! How is it possible that you can be doing that?"

The teen had been looking down and was so encouraged at what he was able to do that he hadn't even noticed that Skulker had called him simply by his name for the first time. But he didn't immediately answer him until he felt the very small wave of cold air pour into the tiny new hole in his _ĉerko._

He finally looked at the hunter ghost and quietly said with a slightly triumphant smile, "You were right about ghostly things not working here, but you didn't say anything about _human_ knives coated in _anti-ectoplasmic energy_!"

Tucker didn't want to go into details at this point with Skulker, or even himself, as to why he shouldn't even try to act upon his idea. He just he knew he had to because it was the only desperate idea he could come up with, he wanted to help his friends, he had felt the knife, and he hoped that what he knew how humans and ghosts affected each other in their respective worlds was true.

He knew, of course, ghosts could easily and significantly hurt ghosts in the Ghost Zone and humans could to the same to other humans in the Real World. But, what was more interesting was when it was ghosts versus humans in the Ghost Zone and the reverse in the Real World. Ghosts really couldn't hurt humans _badly_ in the Ghost Zone, but could in the Real World. The same was true of ghosts if the humans attacked them in the Ghost Zone: the ghosts would get the worse of it in their turf but not if they were attacked in the Real World.

Interestingly, even though the humans were the 'ghosts' in the Ghost Zone, they still had to _not_ think about being intangible or else they couldn't really do anything in the Ghost Zone except float in one place and go through things. Though keeping _tangible_ was a very hard thing to do, Tucker and his friends were very practiced in that skill —even if Danny really didn't need to worry about it in both worlds. But, even humans not so skilled could accidentally become tangible in the Ghost Zone if they weren't careful, which is why they stood a chance of getting harmed in the Ghost Zone. Not only that, ghosts could hurt humans because they actually shared something in common: their auras and the plasm in their respective bloods.

Now spirits were a whole other story. Spirto, Tucker and his friends' friend and leader of the Spectre, had told them all about the nature of spirits. Because spirits had superior powers to ghosts, they— if they wanted— could harm humans and ghosts in both the Ghost Zone and the Real World. Some spirits had the ability to trick or warp the senses of ghosts and humans, but more for the ghosts.

But the ghosts still had a trump card against the spirits, just as the humans did for both ghosts and spirits.

Ghosts could develop weapons against spirits as long as they could measure the spirits' power level, calibrate their weapons to that level—and, most importantly, use spirit energy in their ammunition. That could still be quite a challenge for ghosts to defeat spirits, but the theory was basically sound because both ghosts and spirits had ectoplasm rather than blood.

The same held true for humans fighting against ghosts and spirits. Their anti-ectoplasmic weapons and items worked very well against ghosts, especially if the human had the foresight to design the weapons for the higher power levels rather than the lower ones. But oftentimes, human-made anti-ectoplasmic weapons didn't work on _spirits_ not only because their power levels were higher, but because their ectoplasm was more complex. Even so, if the weapon had enough power, it could combat spirits enough for the humans to gain time to use other tactics...

Fortunately, the anti-ectoplasmic material surrounding Tucker's switchblade was designed to fight ghosts with at least level nine power. Unfortunately, however, Tucker had been having a hard time using the blade because the material he was trying to cut through was made by an extremely powerful _spirit._

But all he cared about was that all the hard work he had done at the beginning of his task to hack at his bindings must have made the bindings weaken enough for him to succeed.

Little did the boy know, however, that he had been successful for an entirely different reason…

In the meanwhile, Skulker quickly glanced as best he could in the spider-spirit's direction again. He sniffed the air as well. Part of him hoped that she wouldn't discover what the boy was doing and was slightly put at ease when he could see that it looked as if she was still fully engrossed with that other ghost. Still, the other part of him wondered what the young human could actually do if he could defy the odds and actually free himself because he had no weapons but that knife. And he still didn't know why 'regular' anti-ectoplasmic energy was effective against spirit energy—and Ĉasista's e _cto-fandado_ power in particular—especially when it was such a rare power that no one had ever gotten to research as far as he knew.

But what Skulker didn't know was that Tucker was already working on a plan even while struggling to saw through the webbing with his switchblade. True, his idea was a long shot, more improbable than when he went to that alternate Amity Park not too long ago. And he had only this one weapon to defend himself. But this was different from then because he was going to do it for his friends. And so, he would be willing to take a crazy long shot over a hopeless one.

"What are your plans, boy?" Skulker anxiously asked.

Tucker was sure that the ghost actually sounded concerned, but he couldn't get distracted from finishing his task. He immediately changed the direction of his cutting once the hole was big enough for him to rotate his hand as best he could. Still, he answered Skulker with his own question, "Are you sure that you've told me everything you know about this place?"

"Of course, I have!" Skulker replied in a slight huff. "Hunters are thorough and…" But then his eyes widened and he felt his core constrict at his next thought and quickly added, "Wait. You have not answered my question! What are you going to do, whelp?"

When the ghost didn't get an immediate answer, he suddenly frowned at the odd sensation that suddenly grabbed hold of his core. He couldn't understand why he was both hopeful and concern at what the boy was doing. And he was especially concerned if what he thought the boy was going to do was right! But he grunted and pushed those feelings aside even as he felt the urge to add, "I do not know what your plan is, whelp, but remember that the entrance to this lair is about one-hundred feet straight forward and then about four-hundred feet to your right! And stay low!"

Tucker stopped what he was doing for a second and looked at the ghost in confusion. How could the ghost have known what he was going to do? Still, he resumed with, and then increased the speed of, his slicing through the webbing. He grew more excited as the hole opened up more and he could feel himself slip downward a little while still cutting. If…he…could…just…get…through…this…next… Finally, the hole actually tore open even more and the boy was about to slip out!

Suddenly struck with another idea, Tucker halted in his efforts, bent his head back and hurriedly hooked the back of his beret on the back of the edge of his ĉerko. He could already feel that the beret would easily come off of his head and stick to the top of his ĉerko once he slipped through.

"Just so you know, I'm going to go for help!" Tucker finally answered with determination coating his voice just before he completely slipped out of the ĉerko and cut off the stubborn sticky strings still sticking to him before he would end up looking more like a yo-yo and risk getting caught.

He landed in a crouched position with hardly any noise on the soft webbed floor of Ĉasista's lair which had been only a couple of yards below his ĉerko. Fortunately, the dark-skinned teen's weight was no where heavy enough to vibrate the webbed floor with any significance to alert the spider. That, and the fact that Ĉasista was concentrating on her other prey and the other ĉerkos hid his escape from her peripheral vision.

Tucker quickly deactivated his knife, retrieved the blade and hurriedly put it in another—though more accessible—pocket.

As he tried to wipe off the residue webbing goo off of him—to no avail—he complained to himself, _"Yech! This stuff is so gross!"_

But as he scanned the area immediately around him, he had to gag his gasp when he finally caught a glimpse of the enormous spider-spirit for the first time. If he had seen her before he had cut open his ĉerko, he might have lost his courage and not even attempted this insane plan.

But he immediately shook that thought away and focused. After all, he was now the only one of her preys free and he had to remain focused on that single thought and do the best he could to get that help…

Staying as low to the ground as possible, the bespectacled teen scrambled over to the opposite wall of where all of the other ĉerkos were as fast as he could in the very dull light. It didn't help that he could barely make out where he was going.

" _He said one-hundred feet, one-hundred feet straight forward first,"_ Tucker said over and over to himself to urge him onward and keep him focused. He prayed that he was going straight even as he estimated the amount of length he had crawled.

He continued to slowly and quietly grope his way forward, occasionally stopping and scanning ahead—and behind to make sure that the creepy spider hadn't detected him! But after his last scan ahead…

There! That must be the wall because it was much darker and larger than this area.

Encouraged, the dark-skinned teen moved slightly more quickly this time, only to have to choke down his gasp again when he almost crashed right into a large mesh of webbing that seemed to have come out of nowhere. He held his breath and glanced behind to make sure that creepy spider hadn't seen—or heard—him.

Satisfied that he had avoided being on the hook for now, Tucker glanced around and over the thick webbing net. He saw what looked like large, dark marbles that were in a pile on top of that lattice. Their shells slightly glistened in the dull light.

But then, he cringed and bit his lower lip when he could all of the sudden see that there were some…things _moving_ in a few of those balls; and it seemed as if their movement had turned some of the darken bubbles into translucent, green glowing ones.

" _No time to freak out, dude,"_ he commanded himself. _"Let's just keep going!"_

He steered around the mass and continued in the direction that he had hoped to be the right one.

Finally, the boy bumped into what felt like a solid thick dark wall. He chanced to pull himself up to a partial kneel to feel the entire area.

" _Okay, so there is more gross crud here, but you had to make sure!"_ Tucker assured himself, though it still irritated him.

He didn't know how lucky he was that Ĉasista hadn't willed any electricity to remain in the walls of her lair at the moment.

The teen hoped that he had guessed right and that this was where he needed to turn to his right which would lead him to the entrance of the lair. But instead of turning that way right away, he twisted around and sat down with his back to the wall for few moments to muster himself. In the meantime, he glanced back at the row of _cerkos._ Fortunately, the spider was now moving toward the third cocoon; but Tucker bit his lower lip hard so not to cry out in anxiety when he finally could make out where Danny and Sam were among the group! And they were unconscious! And so, if _they_ were so helpless, then…

Suddenly, he got cold feet. " _I can't do this!",_ he silently moaned.

But then, Tucker chided himself, _"You can't go back; and unless you can think of a way cooler plan than the one you have right now, dude, let's get going!"_

He swallowed hard, trying to goad himself once again _._

" _Okay. Just four-hundred more feet, just four-hundred more feet…"_ he thought before he couldn't help but gulp _, "...to doom!"_

Sighing softly in a mixture of resignation and resolve, the boy turned toward where the entrance should be and pushed on in the same manner that he had done getting to this point.

Luckily, this path was much smoother and easier to follow since he was moving along the wall of the lair. After groping for several more yards, Tucker half-sighed. He knew that he had finally reached the hallway that lead to the entrance of the lair.

He half-chuckled to only himself when he completed his thought, " _Yep, I'm the right place because I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!"_

The boy glanced back and could see that the massive spider was still oblivious to his doings. She was still hovering over the third cocoon.

" _At least she's leaving Sam and Danny alone_ ," he silently said with anxiety. _"But you gotta focus, dude!"_

He glanced around this area again and realized that the creepy crawler might see his shadow in this hallway if he wasn't careful.

" _Okay, just do it, dude!"_ he commanded himself at his next idea.

He carefully got up on his feet, plastered his back to the wall of the hallway nearest to him and slowly skirted along its side so that he could blend as much in the wall as he could as he inched toward the entrance. He tried to ignore being grossed out by all the slime that was dragging behind his jetpack from its rubbing against the walls.

After groping for a few more yards—with very brief pauses to glance back down the hallway—the teen half-sighed again.

He was now at the entrance of the lair. He stifled his gulp at everything that he saw. Just as Skulker had said, there was a complicated network of webbing filling the atmosphere, with many of the webbing anchored at the lip of the ledge just under the entrance. Still, Tucker knew that at this point he was everyone's only hope and he could not fail, even when he was all but weaponless.

" _Okay, there's that large orb which seems to be, uh, swallowing this place up, just like Skulker said…. And I sure hope that it will work,"_ he prayed, referring to his crazy plan.

The boy quickly retrieved his switchblade, turned on the anti-ectoplasmic feature, and cut off the slime that had been trailing behind him. He frowned in confusion when it was harder to do than cutting the webbing.

" _Oh, well,"_ he thought with a roll of his eyes as he wiped the blade off of his pants the best he could before he then pulled off his jetpack. Even _that_ was hard to do because of all the goop on his back. His lower lip quivered a bit after he inspected the jetpack. Every orifice, and even the control dial, was covered in slime! He made a half-hearted effort to dig out the clogged exhaust pipes to the mini-flying machine with his knife but knew even if he took all day doing that, the jetpack would be useless.

The boy also knew he couldn't just leave the jetpack here on the ledge; and so, he hurriedly tossed it out and over the ledge. It fell silently downward and out-of-sight.

He looked around for anything else that might help him. He grabbed one of the stray pieces of webbing which hung near the entrance of the lair and lopped off a fairly long piece after more struggle than he thought he should have had. He didn't understand why it was so much harder this time. After all, he had had no problem cutting out of his ĉerko. He paused only a moment with that thought and brushed it away when another thought pushed it aside: maybe that icky stuff that made up his cocoon was different stuff than this.

Nevertheless, Tucker never stopped in movement. He tied one of the ends of that rope around his waist, sat down at the edge of the lip of the ledge, looped the other end of the webbing around another larger and longer rope of webbing that stretched down and back toward that huge orb several hundred feet beyond him, and then tied that same end to his waist. He also cut off a large piece of his pants and placed it between the two overlapping webbing to keep them from sticking to each other.

" _Ziplining will never be the same_!" he couldn't help but think before he jumped off of the edge.

As Tucker slid along, his mind was bombarded with all types of emotions: fear, excitement, hope and determination as his weight continued to propel him downward toward the larger orb of the _Sfero de Ĥaoso_ —and the _Angeli_.

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 **A/N: Well, gang, I sure hope you liked this chapter and this story so far. I'll tell you what: I promise not to tie you up in Ĉasista's webbing, if you'll let me know your thoughts about it! Does that sound like a deal? I hope so; and I look forward to hearing from you soon!**


	19. Chapter 19 In the Stew

**A/N: Hello, dear readers….No, I haven't fallen off of the planet; but, yes, life got in the way for a while. But I simply refuse to start a story and not finish it! In any case, I dedicate this chapter to my dear friend and incredible beta, pearl84, who just happened to have celebrated her birthday yesterday! And y'all know the tired, old disclaimer: I don't own the DP universe or characters, but I sure do own this story and any OCs in it! Enjoy the show!**

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Entanglement—Chapter 19—In the Stew

" _Now you've done it, dude,"_ Tucker said to himself, trying to swallow his mounting panic after he had essentially ziplined on one of Ĉasista's many web-lines from her lair to a long, narrow ledge.

That ledge jutted out from the outer surface of the larger orb of the _Sfero de Ĥaoso_. And even though this was part of the network connecting the two spheres in this realm, Tucker frowned when he could plainly see that there was no discernible entryway into the tightly woven, yet tough, grey shell.

" _Why is there a ledge here, then?"_ he grumbled to himself.

As he cut himself from his makeshift zipline and plopped onto the surface of that ledge, the teen could both feel and hear the slightly crunchy, yet cushiony, surface beneath his feet. He could immediately tell why the surface wasn't smooth or sticky as he had expected. What looked like patches of grey gravel and small grey stones were littering the floor of the ledge.

" _How did those get there?"_ he then asked himself.

The teen immediately shrugged the thought away, _"As if that's more important than watching your step now that you no longer have any 'life line'!_

That thought didn't make him feel any better about everything that had happened so far—especially about his current crazy idea. It had been more impulsive than the one he had made to go to the future alternate Amity Park not too long ago. Especially when it was obvious that he was very wrong in thinking that the ledge he had ziplined to might have been an entrance into the larger sphere.

His throat tightened. He had gotten himself into even more trouble now!

Now trying not to go into full-blown panic, Tucker quickly stuffed the cloth piece that he had cut from his pants and used to keep his zipline from sticking to the webbing and stuffed it into one of his pants pockets.

" _Just what were you thinking, dude?"_ he chided himself, as he looked at his dead end again. " _Some wild idea, alright, which got you stuck in some wild place with nowhere to go!"_

He carefully turned 180 degrees around so that his back was to the wall and scanned the horizon. For as far as he could see, he saw nothing but the network of dully-glowing grey webbing. And not only did one web-line lead to just above the ledge, but there was another one anchored to the lip of the ledge.

Suddenly, a steady, cold breeze sent chills through him even as it gently rocked the lines of webbing that still were somehow able to remain separate from the others. That only drilled the point into him that he was in a real pickle right now.

Now feeling an intense panic rapidly taking him over, the teen began to pace along the narrow, long ledge more rapidly than he should have. He was in the middle of turning around when he slipped and shouted in terror when he fell off the ledge, only to have been 'saved' by grabbing onto the thick webbing he had already seen connected to the lip of the ledge!

But before Tucker could pull himself back up to the narrow surface, he yelled out in fear when two bolts of black lightening suddenly formed on the ledge's surface right in front of him and shot away from him. The two electrical phenomena then raced upward along the wall of large orb before they seemed to leap right onto the webbing he had used to get here and scampered back toward Ĉasista's lair! Before he could take another hitch of a breath, however, the two bolts came careening back on that same web-line, slammed into the wall, scurried downward to the ledge, and then shot past the webbing he was still clinging to, barely missing him and setting his ears on fire as well as making all of his hair stand on end!

Little did he know that the vibration from his rapid missteps and then crashing into and thumping the thick web-rope had been enough to cause the lightning!

The bespectacled boy gingerly pulled himself up and back over the ledge and promptly sat down. He tried to slow his panting and hoped the ringing in his ears would stop as he leaned heavily back in defeat against the outside hardened wall of the _Sfero de Ĥaoso._

Suddenly, he heard what sounded like cracking shortly after he had slouched into the wall. Small sand-like debris and pebbles rained down upon him.

The teen immediately yelped and covered his head. But, the 'landslide' was over as quickly as it had begun. He coughed on the dust and started to brush himself off. His eyes happened to glance at one of the new 'stones' that had fallen on him and he picked it up fully in his right hand in curiosity. He instantly winced when he felt something cold and wet against his skin on the underside of that stone. When he pulled it away from his right hand with his left, he groaned in disgust when what was obviously sticky grey slime still connected to his skin and stretching back to the 'stone'. He immediately jerked and then snapped the slimy string, separating his hand from the rock before he tossed the 'stone' away and then wiped his right hand against his pants.

Then, for some reason, Tucker knew.

"This stuff isn't made of, uh, dirt. It's made out of dried out, yech, slime that covered all that webbing of my gross cocoon!" he concluded in chagrin. "I just hope that I don't cause an avalanche of the stuff!"

The boy swallowed down the lump in his throat before a more urgent thought waylaid his fears: his friends! They were _still_ in danger and if he didn't try to do something—anything—to help them, he could never live with himself any longer! After all… _all_ of this was his _fault_!

"Gosh, now I know what Danny meant all those times when he blamed himself!" he murmured in discouragement.

His mind slipped back to his friends' peril; and in a mixture of indecision and remounting panic, he moaned, "But what can I do without my PDA?"

Tucker startled when he heard the echo of Valerie's voice answer his question, " _The PDA didn't make the man;_ _ **the man**_ _made the PDA_."

Then, the teen squared his chin and readjusted his glasses with that same determination he had whenever he needed to come through for his friends. He pulled out the anti-ghost knife in his pocket, stared at it for a moment, and then twisted around to face the hard surface of the larger orb belonging to the _Sfero de Ĥaoso._

" _Well, they say that even the biggest of icebergs will break after chipping away at it…even if it is forever. At least I'll be doing something than sitting here stuck…forever_ ," he thought in a mixture of hope and dread.

The dark-skinned boy carefully pulled up to his hands and knees and pushed the button that released the knife's blade. Then he pushed another button and a green glow formed around the surface of the metal.

Tucker immediately grabbed the blade, raised his hand, and then stabbed the hard surface, only to gasp when it didn't not even make a scratch on the surface! He tried again and got the same result. This didn't make sense! This knife had cut his ĉerko and the webbing he used to get here! Wasn't this wall made of the same stuff? He struck the wall with more strength yet again and gasped when he almost lost his grip on it when its tip was essentially flicked away.

"NO! No, no, NO!" he screamed as his eyes begin to pool with his frustration and impeding failure.

"NO!" he cried out again as the tears finally escaped and rolled down one of his cheeks. "I know I've been a jerk, but Danny and Sam are gonna die if I don't try to get some help—even if even that is hopeless!"

Now crying unabashedly, and yet, wiping his tears away even as the tears flowed, Tucker closed his eyes in deep concentration and desire to help his friends; and in a last desperate effort, he thrust the sharp knife into the dry, hard surface.

The teen gasped when he suddenly felt the wall pressed against the side of his hand after his last blow! Uncertain if that was a good thing, he opened his eyes. He gasped more loudly when he could see that not only had the knife rent the dried webbing, but his entire right hand was now aglow with a _very_ bright green energy!

"Oh, no, what is this now?" he gulped in dread.

Shocked, he slowly pulled the knife out and his eyes widened when he saw that that green aura was also flowing around and essentially encasing the knife! He had no idea that the exact same thing had happened when he was trying to escape his ĉerko, nor did he know that he had unconsciously summoned _his spirit_ energy which had made all of that possible.

"Don't know how I did that, but I hope I can do it lots more!" Tucker said with a slight smile of hope cracking over his wet face.

Scrunching his face more with both determination and concentration, the teen plunged his knife into the hole he had made. He was surprised how easy the first thick thread of grey webbing tore easily under the sharp, glowing force, but there was even more webbing under that one.

"Well, here goes nothin'!" he replied as he continued to cut downward.

But after several more minutes, sweat started to form on the teen's forehead even as he continued to hack away. Over an hour later, and even though he was now within a small crevice big enough for him to fit into, he could see that the more he dug, the denser the webbing became.

Now exhausted, he pulled himself out of the crevice and plopped down hard onto the small ledge in discouragement.

Suddenly, Tucker gasped in fear when that vibration set off another set of black lightning bolts, which scurried away from him and ran along that thick piece of webbing he had used to come here. His eyes widened in dread when they raced toward Ĉasista's lair high above him as fast as snakes frightened out of their nests!

The two bolts then slammed into the ledge of the entrance of the spider's smaller orb. As if that ledge had been a trampoline, the lightning bounced off of it but remained swathed to the thick, grey webbing. Now the direction of their pathway went into reverse —heading with great speed right back at the boy whose movements had created them!

Tucker yelled as the lightning came barreling down toward him as wildly as a runaway train! But as he scrambled to get out of the line of fire, he had no traction: he was slipping on the dried-up webbing 'sand' again!

No time!

The teen gasped in terror as he reflexively closed his eyes, grasped his knife firmly and threw up his arms over his head to shield himself from the inevitable blow. He cringed when it seemed as if all of the hair on his head was on fire and that his ears would explode at the moment of impact!

A split second later, as he blinked away any lingering spots before his eyes, he was in complete surprise that he wasn't toast.

But when the boy finally lowered his arms from over his head, he frowned in confusion when he saw that even though his right hand and his knife still had that bright green aura around them, there was _smoke_ still rising off of his knife! But then, he yelped when he saw more smoke coming from behind him!

He twisted around and his eyes widened.

"I don't believe it!", Tucker blurted out, still staring at the smoking area. "But, I'm not going to complain!"

The boy was sure that the blade of his knife had acted like a lightning rod, only that his spirit energy surrounding the blade had actually refracted and focused the electricity and in effect had lasered through the thick shell of the large orb. Though the hole wasn't very wide, he could see that it was very, very deep.

Even though he was suddenly coughing on the acrid smell of ions and webbing colliding, Tucker hurriedly cut off a very, very long piece of webbing before putting his knife away. He frowned a bit when the green aura around his right hand didn't dissipate like he thought it would—but then again, how could he even know one way or another about that green aura?

For a moment, the boy was suddenly seized with fear. Nevertheless, he tied one piece of that webbing around his waist and the other to several strands of interwoven webbing near the entrance of the newly- carved hole.

"Here goes nothin' —again!" he said with a bit of trepidation as he slowly lowered himself into the hole and down into…the unknown.

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In all this while, Ĉasista had just finished her preliminary look at the three most powerful ghosts in her possession; and she was about to start 'phase two' of her examination. Normally, she would have done a thorough examination right away on any ghost she had captured and finalized everything shortly thereafter.

But this had not been an ordinary hunt.

The urgency in the dynamic and sudden change in the cosmos whet her appetite more than usual. She had more ghosts than she expected; but now, she was going to take full advantage of it and guarantee a little more insurance about the entire situation…

And so, like a starved person in the midst of a buffet, she hungrily locked her four pairs of eyes at each of the most powerful ghosts there at the same time: Evil Dan, Vlad and Danny. She would have to see for herself what she could use from each of her victims before deciding about their fate.

And that would mean that she would have to know their _souls_.

The spider practically leapt back to Evil Dan, since she had already sensed that he was the most powerful of the three…He was at least a level-ten ghost as far as she had detected so far. Perhaps he had the most to offer as well.

In the moment for the spirit took to settle in front of the unconscious wicked future ghost, a few of her eyes inadvertently wandered over to Sam, who was only a few feet to Evil Dan's right. But Ĉasista quickly dismissed the female ghost-to-be for now because she was still out cold. Maybe the puny creature wasn't worth her bother after all.

She refocused all of her eyes back on Evil Dan, regurgitated his energy that she had stored within her abdomen, and mused, _"Such a strong one, indeed…but just how strong, pet, eh? After all, you could not defeat Ĉasista….Now, it is time to find out even more…"_

With that, her two forelegs reached out, quickly latched onto the evil ghost's aura, and rent a larger piece from it.

The listless future ghost didn't even flinch from the assault, but his aura did dim slightly.

This time, the large creature didn't devour the aura right away. Instead, she slowly and carefully stretched it this way and that, as if she were working all of the lumps out of dough, but instead, actually _hoping_ to find the _lumps_ …

She also smelled it with her special olfactory senses again for several minutes before she finally devoured it all.

" _Interesting,"_ she mused, as if the fresh taste revealed more to her —which for all intents and purposes, it had. " _A unique taste; and his power is intoxicating. She will have to keep some of it for something special."_

Ĉasista then startled a bit when she detected something that she had missed when she had first examined him. Though she didn't chide herself —as she knew her first examination was very quick —she was a bit disappointed in herself from not sensing it even in that first exam. After all, she was very proud of the fact that her powers were very, very sensitive and accurate, which was why she was such a superb huntress.

She quickly brushed the thought away and fully focused on this new discovery….Just how was it that this _fantomo_ _ **[1]**_ possessed spirit energy?

Was she that lucky that so many of her victims had spirit energy within them?

But what Ĉasista didn't know was that the spirit energy she noticed pulsating within Evil Dan was _temporary_ , since it came from Clockwork's Time Medallion, which was keeping him within this timeline.

Suddenly, the spider scurried over to the nearby nest of orbs that she had previously retrieved from the depths of her lair. And fortunately for Tucker, he had already been at the entrance of the large orb of the _Sfero de Ĥaoso_ **[2]** by the time she had gotten there.

She carefully shifted through the small dark or glowing orbs even as she continued to ruminate on the slimy remnants of Evil Dan's aura. Though all of the spheres intermittently now emitted a fuchsia-color glow rather than a green one from within that brightened their translucent skins, some of them glowed brighter than others. She counted them all as she quickly inspected them.

The spirit frowned only to herself, even though the thought sent a thrill throughout her ecto-exoskeleton at the same time. Had she brought enough of her jewels? If not, she would have to chance returning to the deepest part of her lair to get more and leave her precious prey unguarded yet again. That had not been a concern before now because her venom had kept them in check. But its effects were waning and could dissipate naturally from them soon. And she could not risk permanently harming them with injecting more of her poison or else she would not be able to obtain what she needed from them. After all, she knew that they had to be at their peak strength and _awake_ for that. That meant she would have to wait...

The large spider glanced down at the brightest orb she had picked out from the rest. As she carefully rotated it and occasionally yet gently 'thumped' its surface with one of her claws, all four sets of her eyes peered through it as she thought, "Yes, more may be needed. And too many of these are near perfection for Ĉasista to delay should she need to retrieve more from below….But first…"

She carefully placed that orb on top of the pile and glided back toward her row of prey and headed to _Vlad_ this time…

Ĉasista was in front of the unconscious Vlad in no time and she looked him over. But more importantly, she eyed his aura.

As she had done to Evil Dan, the large creature grabbed at and then tore off a large piece of Vlad's aura. The older hybrid remained silent.

But before the large creature consumed it, she scrunched up her face in anticipation of the bitterness taste she knew was going to taste. Sure enough, Vlad's sample didn't 'disappoint' her!

Nevertheless, she continued to ruminate on his aura for several minutes, reflecting on what it revealed to her.

" _Odd,"_ she commented only to herself, even though she had detected it before and had initially rejected it. But this larger sample confirmed it. _"The part that is pleasant tastes a lot like the powerful one she just tried. How can this be?"_

Suddenly, she needed to know and twisted toward Evil Dan. But in the very next instant, she changed her mind.

" _Patience, dearest_ _Ĉasista,"_ she cooed only to herself, _"There is plenty of time for that. It is the little one's turn."_

Satisfied with her decision, she shifted slightly until she was now in front of Danny. She could see that he was still moving a bit more while trying to regain consciousness but had not yet been successful. Without hesitating any more, she quickly ripped a portion of the ghost boy's aura and devoured it. She ignored the boy's moan of pain.

After she had digested it enough to regurgitate it back up, her entire face puckered in a mixture of confusion, disgust and curiosity all at once. She concentrated on what she was detecting, as if she were searching through sand for hidden treasure.

" _This young one, too, tastes as badly as the one next to him, as if he, too, was as much as a ghost-to-be as a_ _**fantomo!**_ _And yet, he, too, is like the_ _ **first**_ _powerful one!"_

The spider hesitated a bit more. This was not coincidental! She finally concluded, " _For some strange reason, these three powerful ghosts are…connected to each other. Why is that?"_

Ĉasista, of course, didn't know at this point that she was indeed correct.

Still, the creature wasn't one to dwell on any particular thought so as to keep her senses alert to her surroundings.

Instead, her face broke out into a hideous wicked grin as she almost gloated, _"_ _Ĉasista's catch on this hunt has indeed been very rare and valuable: to have three uniquely powerful ghosts, a Malofta, and two ghosts-to-be with spirit power come into her power must be destiny! That must mean, then, that her plans will be fulfilled without having those imbecilic other irritating spirits detect them until it is too late!"_

Suddenly, she threw back her insectoid head and cackled in laughter. Her triumphant laugh was so loud that her whole lair shook and masked the sound of two large bolts of black lightning that had come from the larger orb behind her abode, had hit the ledge of its entrance and then ricocheted back and rent a hole in the larger orb's surface for Tucker.

And the energy shaking the entire lair was enough to jolt Sam out of her stupor, stir Danny more toward consciousness, and alarm Skulker!

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 **[1] Remember, that is the Esperanto word for 'ghost'! *winks***

 **[2] Remember, those of the Esperanto words for 'Realm of Chaos' *double-winks***

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 **A/N: Well, I hope that the wait was worth it to y'all. And please don't wait to tell me your thoughts in the little box below (yeah, I admit, it's hypocritical, but as long as you review, I will own up to it! LOL) Until next time, dear readers. And once again, a very happy birthday- plus-one-day to you, pearl84! You rock!**


	20. Chapter 20 Face-to-Face With Terror

**A/N: Hiya, everybodee! Sorry about the delay, but my wonderful beta's computer died and she had to get a new one, which took quite a while.** **I feel the pain! :( But she went right to work as soon as she could and now it's time to update! :)** **Recap: Tucker is working his way down to the main sphere of the** _ **Sfero de Ĥaoso,**_ **and** **Ĉasista** **has tried to—and failed—to control Sam's mind, which resulted in Sam's being knocked out by the struggle. Ĉasista has just laughed so hard in delight of her plans so far that she has shaken her whole lair. And, of course, Danny, Evil Dan, and Vlad are still unconscious, and Skulker is still as helpless, as Ĉasista plans her next move. Enjoy the show!**

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Entanglement—Chapter 20— Face-to-Face with Terror

Sam slowly came to again, and frowned at the sound of…laughter. But this laughter wasn't pleasant, and the sound waves it generated seemed to pummel her brain more. Ironically, that same pain throbbing in her head also helped her to remember what had happened to her, especially when the laughter stopped.

Sam cringed with her eyes still closed. Her head felt like it was splitting in two and that loud sound was still ringing in her ears. Yet, it only took her a few more moments to come back to reality.

She slowly opened her eyes and gagged her gasp when within the slight brightness that penetrated the surrounding darkness, she once again spied an unconscious Evil Dan still a captive and closer to her than she ever wanted him to be! And then, she hitched in another gasp when she noticed that the dull light she had seen was actually growing brighter!

And the girl suddenly knew that the light must be emanating from the huge spider who had captured her—and that would then mean that the creature was headed toward her!

She closed her eyes and let her head drop, feigning unconsciousness again while she searched her brain for something—anything—that could help her out of this mess.

But, of course, Sam couldn't know that she and Evil Dan weren't the only ones who had been captured, nor that Tucker was slowly easing himself to the bottom of the cavity within the huge orb that was the _Sfero de Ĥaoso._

" _Time to try to contact Danny and Tucker,"_ she commanded only to herself. " _Especially when they might have been trying to contact me when I was out for the count. I have to let them know that I'm okay, well, for now. And maybe, somehow, they might be able to find out where I am…Maybe._ "

She concentrated in her task to telepathically reach both of her friends at the same time, only to hiss in pain. Her head still ached from that big spider's last attempt to barge in on her brain.

" _So, okay, just keep it simple,"_ she told herself when she tried to connect to only Danny's mind this round.

But after several moments, she knew that she had failed—and sensed that something was wrong.

" _Is he hurt?"_ she suddenly asked in fear before she added in hope, _"Maybe he's just too far away…"_

But the girl frowned when she didn't even believe herself. She didn't know, of course, that her boyfriend was still struggling to rid himself of Ĉasista's poison and regain consciousness, and therefore, would not be able to connect with her unless she was strong enough to 'barge' into his unconscious mind.

Sam knew, however, that Tucker couldn't be that far away since they had been together when that…thing attacked them…But that didn't make her feel any better.

" _Even though I don't like the idea that Tucker has to be around here somehow, I hope he isn't just as bad off,"_ she said, biting her lip with just as much fear.

She then telepathically reached out to Tucker.

But before she could solidify their link, she winced as more pain shot through her brain.

" _There's no time for this!"_ she mentally growled with grit as she concentrated more intensely.

However, just when she finally connected with Tucker, two things happened almost simultaneously: she mentally heard Tucker yell in fear, and Ĉasista sensed that Sam had recovered!

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Shortly after the last vibrating echo of Ĉasista's laughter had been absorbed by the walls of her lair, the spider spirit's mind melded back into focusing on completing her plans.

It was time for her to take what she could use from each of three powerful ghosts; and for that —unfortunate as it was —she needed them to be fully _awake_!

It was time for the next step of her preys' examinations!

But just before she was going to enact her plan, Ĉasista suddenly sensed a disturbance….in her mind.

" _Ah-ha, the female ghost-to-be awakens,"_ she purred only to herself.

Although the spider spirit hadn't been successful in solidifying a telepathic connection with the female ghost-to-be like she had with her other preys, she still had the uncanny ability to detect even the smallest of ecto-energy being used by any creature. She made even make mosquitos that could detect and hone on their blood-filled victims up to one-hundred-sixty-four feet **[1]** look like amateurs. She was able to sense the use of ecto-energy for miles; and if she had enough DNA, she could detect them for _leagues…_ Nevertheless, Ĉasista knew that it was only a matter of time for her to conquer the other female's mind since she had already injected her venom into the human girl, which would make the girl's mind more susceptible to her mental control.

It was ironical, then, that the spider hadn't detected that Tucker had inadvertently been using his spirit energy several times already _._ She should have, but she had never been telepathically connected to him since she hand never injected any venom in him. She just thought he was more of an oddity than anything else; and whatever she found useful in him could easily be taken from him, so she really didn't really think it necessary for her to establish a mental link with such an insignificant creature like him. It also helped that she had virtually ignored that he was even there because she was concentrating on the more important victims in her mind's eye—and that would have included Sam…

" _And it is time to learn who owns your mind, little insignificant creature,"_ Ĉasista slightly grumbled only to herself before she activated her telepathic powers.

When the spider felt the mental connection between the smaller female and her begin to solidify—and just as she missed telepathically hearing Tucker yell out in fear after Sam had— Ĉasista immediately probed even harder into the human girl's mind. But all eight of her eyes widened in astonishment when she hit a solid mental block shortly afterward.

" _How can this be?"_ the she-spider almost gasped in denial, but she managed to keep the comment to herself and not convey it to Sam.

Ĉasista tried pouring more energy into the attempt, only to hit the same block…

Sam, meanwhile, felt as if something was trying to pry her head open again because her headache increased ten-fold. She grunted her pain away as she reflexively resisted the assault. Somehow, she knew that the spider had somehow detected that she had stirred and was trying to barge in again.

" _Oh, no, you don't_ — _not as long as I can help it, that is!"_ Sam said to herself in determination, but addressing the spider spirit.

Though the female teen was upset that her connection to Tucker had violently severed once Ĉasista had tried to open a channel to her mind, and that this might end the way it had during her last encounter with the spirit's telepathic powers—that is, in a lot of pain and her falling into unconsciousness—Sam was resolute in not letting the spider invade her mind.

And so, Sam put more effort into blocking the door to her mind and concentrated on maintaining that. But that also meant she wasn't going to be able to try to contact Tucker or Danny any time in the near future…

Little did the girl know, however, that Ĉasista had given up opening up that channel shortly after she had started…

With a grotesque frown on her insectoid face now that she realized she had failed yet again to connect to the human girl's mind, Ĉasista grunted to herself, though she was half-addressing Sam, " _Your resistance will be in vain, fantomo-al-esti;_ _ **[2]**_ _for in spite of your efforts, you and the_ _male ghost-to-be have no powers that Ĉasista cannot take in the end! After all, time is on Ĉasista's side in her realm; and she can easily deal with you both soon after crushing the others …."_

And as if she were snubbing her nose at the human girl, she announced to herself, _"Which will be starting now...!"_

One set of her spinets hurriedly shot out a small amount of webbing, which she aimed at each of the three powerful ghosts. They were just large enough to cover each of their mouths. She had already expected that it would take some time for her to fully control their minds; and until she had that control, she would not give them any opportunity to communicate with each other just in case they were allies as she suspected. She was certain that they were somehow related.

Then, ignoring her sudden intense desire to dissect the human girl for her spirit power, the large spider skirted over to Evil Dan instead and quickly activated her ability to reabsorbed any and as much poison as she wanted from her victim.

"Yesss," Ĉasista softly cooed as she slurped in most of the poison. But she still left enough to keep Danny's evil future-self slightly groggy—and susceptible.

The spirit repeated the same method for Vlad and Danny.

She also continued to ignore the Skulker and the male ghost-to-be. In fact, she didn't make any effort to actually do at least a _visual check_ for either of them. Therefore, she had no clue at this point that Tucker had escaped to the larger orb. Not that she would have really cared in the end that Tucker had escaped because she knew that the _Angeli_ would save her of the trouble of ridding of him herself…

Finally, the three most powerful of her preys were quickly recovering.

The Huntress waited in anticipation. She knew that the real fun was about to start…

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Sam felt that her head would explode from all of the effort and resultant pain from her trying to block Ĉasista from taking over her mind.

" _S-She is so strong,"_ Sam mentally moaned as she struggled with her task.

The human girl was concentrating so hard on her current goal for next several minutes that she didn't even realize that her headache had significantly lessened.

" _I don't think I can take this any longer,"_ the teen fretted only to herself.

No sooner had she said that when she felt faint and her telepathic block unwittingly dissolved. But then, the girl noticed that her headache was practically gone and she could tell that the spider was no longer trying to take over her mind. She paused a moment as she searched her mind to make sure that it was true.

" _What a relief, even if it's a bit embarrassing_ ," Sam finally thought, reluctantly admitting that she had not detected exactly when the spider had severed their telepathic ties.

But then her thoughts sifted back to her friends. And just before Ĉasista had mentally assaulted her, she remembered that she had connected telepathically to Tucker and had heard him _yell in fear!_

She frowned as she steered her focus back to Tucker in hopes of reconnecting with him.

After a few minutes, she felt a familiar pressure; but hesitated very briefly to make sure that it wasn't that spider creature trying to mentally attack her again.

Satisfied it was the familiar pressure she wanted, she concentrated more.

And then she mentally gasped when she heard Tucker scream in pain!

" _Tucker!"_ she telepathically cried to her friend. _"Where are you? What's happening?"_

But when she didn't hear him 'answer' her, she yelled even louder to his mind, _"TUCKER!"_

" _Ohmigosh!"_ Sam mentally fretted when all she heard from her friend this time was another, more intense cry of pain!

But she threw her fears aside and telepathically told him, _"Hang in there, Tucker! I'm gonna try to help!"_

Though she fretted right afterwards because she was not sure how she could really help, she still secretly hoped that she might be able to project her telekinetic powers telepathically to her friend. After all, she had been able to do that one time before….but that was quite a while ago.

But before she could try to do that, she suddenly heard another cry of pain! But it wasn't Tucker's. And it wasn't an audible cry!

" _Danny!"_ she mentally yelled as her heart constricted in fear. Somehow, she had finally connected to her boyfriend, only to sense that he was being attacked! But she had no idea where he was or who was hurting him.

She concentrated on strengthening her telepathic connection to him when, suddenly, she felt has if someone had just hit her brain with a hammer! Whatever had attacked her beau had essentially attacked her as well!

Blurred mental images whirled uncontrollably in her mind before the girl felt as if she had been sucked into a whirlpool of darkness…and she knew no more.

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Tucker finished slowly lowering himself downward and cringed slightly when his feet finally touched the surface deep inside the large orb of the _Sfero de Ĥaoso._

" _Well, at least this feels a little less gross than that other gross stuff,"_ he thought, though it didn't cheer him in the least.

After all, he was not only regretting his decision to come here, he was also still upset that his right hand hadn't returned to normal and was still glowing. Though he still didn't know how he did that—and could only guess that it might be his spirit energy that was surrounding his hand—maybe—he was half-glad that he couldn't control it at the moment because at least it helped him to see where he was.

In fact, he looked at the hand once more, shrugged, and held it up as if he were holding a lantern before scanning the area immediately in front of him.

Not that it was completely dark in here. On the contrary, part of the teen was fascinated on how the surroundings changed so violently. At times, everything was bathed in a bright yellow, only for it to fall into a dark violet before almost instantly bleeding into a bright orange. Even the red and black lightning seemed to want to put on a show for him. The colors seemed endless as did the contrast with the lighter ones and the dark ones. But, the green aura around his right hand gave him some consistency in all of this…chaos.

" _Well, okay, maybe it's kinda good since I haven't seen any grey so far,"_ he couldn't help but think _._

No matter how hard Tucker was having trying to cheer himself, he knew he had to get going. He took out his knife, and ignoring when the green aura around his hand immediately surrounded the blade, cut himself loose from the webbing he had had around his waist and left the loose rope hanging. He had to make sure he had some means of escape…that is, if he could escape, now that part of him was growing more and more terrified the longer he stayed.

" _Just what were you thinking—again!—dude? This insane idea won't work, 'cause this time there are too many 'ifs'!"_ his reason seemed to scream at him, urging him to climb back up the rope.

But his love for his friends compelled him forward in this scary, unknown world—and to act on his hunch. And for some strange reason, Tucker suddenly felt that he should put his knife away, which he did.

After the boy had gone a few more yards, he all of the sudden hitched in a gasp, stopped in his tracks, pulled off his glasses, and rubbed his eyes in disbelief. He thought he just saw what he thought were small shadows—that actually seemed as if parts of the atmosphere had bulged out and moved— come near him and just as quickly scurry away without colliding with him. But what made the bulges particularly odd was that they made some kind of padding sound as they moved.

The dark-skinned boy swallowed down the lump in his throat, wondering if those shadows were the _Parvuli_ that he and his friends had seen when Danny had last encountered the head dude spirit a few weeks ago.

" _Well, if they are those creepy minions, then I'm sure that they'll tell the Angeli that I'm invading their turf. That, of course, is a good and bad thing, 'cause that's what I kinda hoped would have happened,"_ he thought with a gulp.

Still, he resumed his slow walk, all the while keeping his eyes glued to his surroundings for any kind of change, well, any kind of _stranger_ change.

He could hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears in spite of his bravado; and in the end, he couldn't help but flinched at all of the changes that happened all of the time here. He half-expected a bunch of _Angeli_ or _Parvuli_ to suddenly jump out and yell, 'boo!' before they would devour him!

After what felt like eons of torturing thoughts as his imagination ran wild, but were in reality, only a few minutes, Tucker suddenly halted. His eyes widened at the sight. Just ahead, he could see what seemed like a huge, red dust cloud—and it was heading his way!

The bespectacled teen searched frantically for some kind of shelter when, all of the sudden, the dust cloud constricted in and on itself and floated upward, as if the wind had swept it up and away from him.

Though Tucker really hadn't relaxed since he had escaped from his ĉerko, he felt the weight of his shoulders fall slightly in relief. Also, he inexplicably felt a little dizzy and weak as well. Little did he know that the adrenaline he had been running on since just before his escape from Ĉasista's lair had finally run its course. He also didn't notice that his right hand was no longer glowing.

Without any hint of it all, the boy gasped when a large group of different-colored _Angeli_ suddenly appeared and blocked his way!

Tucker looked up on just how tall they were and backed up slowly even as he stuttered, "Uh, uh, I-I don't remember how big you all were….Uh, uh, h-how's it goin', dudes?...Uh, is your boss dude around?"

The teen really didn't know what he was saying even as he tried to swallow down his terror. It didn't help that all the _Angeli_ did was look at him in silence, though the boy could swear that each set of their red pupil-less eyes were boring holes in him. Nevertheless, Tucker continued to slowly back up until he abruptly halted when he knew he had literally backed into a few more of the spirits.

" _Now, you've done it, dude—and I know how all those circled wagons must have felt!"_ he moaned to himself.

But then, he yelped out in fear when he felt several arms suddenly grab both of his arms before they jerked him here and there, as if he were in a tug-of-war struggle and _he_ was the rope!

And, in effect, that what was happening to the teen at the moment.

Tucker grunted in a mixture of slight pain and alarm when in the next moment, a stronger set of arms had grabbed a hold of him and jerked him away from the others before another and then another set of arms took control. But as soon as that one seemed to have won him as his prize, another _Angelus_ would suddenly appear and yank the teen right out of another Angeli's grasp, only for still another to jerk him away.

And the boy yelled out in terror when he felt his body being thrown up into the atmosphere, only for him to fall back down, be caught by yet another Angelus, who would promptly send him back up into the air. And the cycle would begin again, but only more rapidly as time passed.

And in all that while that the human was being quickly flung upward and to-and-fro, the _Angeli_ chattered amongst themselves in their native language, though in reality, they hardly understood or listened to each other with all of their ever-chaotic thoughts controlling them.

Though Tucker didn't understand what they were saying, he did catch only snatches of what seemed to be the words the _Angeli_ said with glee:

"Quid est hoc?"

"Da mihi?"

"Rursus mea!"

"Quid est hoc aliquid, non mutantur?" **[2]**

But every time one _Angelus_ uttered a thought, another would swoop in and grab Tucker.

Yet, oddly, none of the _Angeli_ was really arguing with the others. They were merely being entertained by a creature they had never seen before, because it certainly wasn't a human ghost. In fact, for all of those spirits that were here, it was the first time they had ever encountered a flesh-and-blood human before.

In all the while, Tucker grunted or yelp while he was being tossed from one Angelus to another as if they were children playing with a balloon.

Then, the human was jerked so violently in the next instant that he was swept completely away from the group and pulled more closely to one Angelus in particular. But because Tucker had his back to this newest Angelus, he couldn't see who it was.

But now that Tucker was no longer a ball at a beach party, he struggled hard to free himself from the strong arms holding his upper arms even as he could tell he was being lifted up once again. Suddenly, he loudly yelled in alarm and distress when he could feel pain shooting down his left shoulder and back because this _Angelus_ actually bit into his shoulder!

" _TUCKER!"_ the boy heard in his mind even when he was panting in pain and felt the warm wetness bathing his shoulder.

Tucker had instantly known it was Sam and she must have sensed that he was in danger. But he couldn't answer her right now, even when she telepathically added, _"Hang in there, Tucker! I'm gonna try to help!"_

However, in the next instant, the same Angelus who had bit Tucker dropped the boy harshly to the ground below, which had been a significant height.

Though the fall was steep, the ground that Tucker had fallen upon was soft enough that he was not further harmed.

But the teen couldn't have known that he wasn't dropped just because the Angelus was repulsed by the boy's taste since he wasn't a human ghost. More importantly, the Angelus was startled by the _voice_ that he had _also mentally heard_ _at the same time_ as the human boy.

Tucker groaned in pain as he grabbed his injured shoulder, rolled over and looked up. He gasped in shock and didn't realize that he had reflexively shouted both audibly and mentally,

" _Angelus-alvus!"_

But Tucker also frowned in confusion when he heard a _male_ voice say to his mind almost at the same time, _"Ad Femina!_ " **[3]**

Almost immediately after that, however, Tucker's _mind_ was in tremendous pain and he slumped fully into the ground, completely senseless and helpless among the Angeli...

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Meanwhile, in a realm easternmost of the Ghost Zone and directly opposite and extreme-most pole to the _Sfero de Ĥaoso,_ two one-eyed beings were anxiously gazing at a small television-like screen that currently displayed what was happening to Tucker at the same moment.

"What are we going to do, brother?" the first Observant, Konsilisto, the Supreme Counselor, asked the other Observant.

Konsilisto promptly resumed floating anxiously back-and-forth just after he spoke. He had only momentarily stopped to stare at the screen again, before resuming his in-air pacing, as if he were a driver who had slowed only briefly to look at a car wreck before passing it by.

Justeco, who was the High Tribune Observant in the Realm Beyond Time and the one addressed by Konsilisto, didn't answer his twin brother right away. In fact, he had remained unusually quiet and hadn't so much as glanced up at his brother in all the while he had been observing the events revealed by their viewing orb.

"Did you not hear me, Justeco?" the more nervous of the two Observants asked just as he place one of his hands on his brother's shoulder.

Suddenly, Justeco startled at his brother's touch because he had been deep in thought while the scene at the _Sfero de Ĥaoso_ unfolded.

Konsilisto, in turn, gulped at his brother's reaction. Usually _he_ was the more skittish of the two. In fact, Justeco hardly ever got as perturbed as he since the time that the Observants had put Vlad Plasmius and Danny Phantom on trial, which ended with their having to deal with Iluzisto, a rogue Observant with a dark past. **[4]**

And that was because Justeco had changed as a result of that hard lesson. He was much more pensive and measured his words more carefully whenever he did speak, which was a tremendous change for him. After all, before the Iluzisto affair, he had the rightly-earned reputation of being bombastic. But no Observant could truly say that about him now.

Finally, Justeco responded, "I am sorry to have upset you, brother. I have been preoccupied with the events we are witnessing.

"I know that, Justeco, since I have also been right here with you all along," Konsilisto replied with some exasperation. "We have to discuss the importance of this matter."

The Counselor rolled his lone pupil. Just where had Justeco's bald head been all this while was beyond him. Did his brother not see the gravity of the situation? It was already bad enough that they had to endure watching the Realm of Chaos because its utter pandemonium was an assault on their very orderly and proper senses and was the extreme opposite of their realm. In fact, brushing a wet cat would be more pleasant than viewing the chaos which was the _Sfero de Ĥaoso._

But they were watching the Realm of Chaos because they were more likely to tune into the young hero Danny Phantom's doings than not since their last encounter with the youngling and especially since his last ordeal. They had to do that secretly every time, because it wasn't proper behavior of an Observant to dwell on the doings of any particular ghost. In fact, they had carefully hidden their viewing orb in a small closet in Justeco's private quarters to avoid any…complications.

But the two Observants couldn't help but check on the young hybrid because they had been especially upset at what had happened to the young half-ghost when he was under Vlad Plasmius's power only just recently, mainly because they had been played as the villains again—even when they had never interfered. They already understood the mental scars the youngling had had to endure, but they also knew how resilient he was. Nevertheless, they had been very worried that Danny wouldn't have been able to recover from that ordeal. Not that they feared that Danny Phantom would become his evil self—well, okay, they did fear it a little because it almost happened three times already. **[5]**

But that wasn't the only reason why they had been monitoring the doings of the young hero more often.

Though Justeco and Konsilisto wouldn't admit it openly to themselves, their kin and especially _not to Clockwork,_ the twin brothers really _cared_ what happened to Danny Phantom —whom they affectionately referred to as 'the Youngling' only between themselves — for his own sake….

True, the twin Observants knew that this was just as improper for them to behave. But they rationalized their actions partly with the understanding that they wouldn't hesitate to interfere if Existence was in danger. After all, that was their sworn and solemn duty.

But after being rescued by Danny and even Plasmius from Iluzisto's evil clutches and plans, they were more willing to help the young half-ghost—very, very discreetly, of course and only if they thought they could get away with it—and without the youngling's—and especially Clockwork's—knowledge.

Yet, at this point, Justeco and Konsilisto knew that they couldn't intervene in any way right now, even if they had their special orbs that contained and were powered by Timeless Magic. Just using these two orbs could allow them to interfere while maintaining their stealth. The orb that was wielded only by Justeco, which was known as the _Orbo de Potenco_ , that is, the Orb of Power, could not only control all of the other orbs, but also could, among other powers, transport them to the _Sfero de Ĥaoso_ in less than a blink of their large eyes. It actually was one of _two_ orbs that the two Observants were using now to view what was happening to Danny and his friends and enabled them to do it extremely secretly to everyone, but especially to Clockwork.

The other orb whose power they needed to combine with the Orb of Power in order to view such a far-away place as the _Sfero de Ĥaoso_ was a much more inferior version of the Timeless Magic time amulet that Clockwork used. Konsilisto had always been its master. But now, Konsilisto was also the keeper and protector of the orb that had once belonged to Okulo. **[5]** The Observants called it the _Orbo de Resanigo_ — which meant the Orb of Healing. It had the power to control ghosts and spirits, especially when they were in need of calming when they had been hurt or upset. But in addition, the _Orbo de Resanigo_ cured the spirits and ghosts of all and any of their afflictions. Of course, there were a few more timeless magic orbs they could use to…meddle…if they had to.

But, then again, they couldn't—and, if they would only admit it— _shouldn't._

And the reason for that was precisely what Justeco had been mulling over during this entire time.

Finally, and as if the High Tribune had yet again not heard a word that his brother had said, Justeco announced in a pained voice, "We can do nothing, brother."

Konsilisto's pupil widened in alarm before he blurted out, "But Ĉasista will destroy all of those ghosts, especially the youngling and his companions! We could use the Orbo de…"

"NO!" Justeco uncharacteristically snapped; and his brother literally shirked back in fear as Justeco continued, "You know we cannot use the _Orbo de Potenco_ or any of the other orbs! The others would instantly know of it, and know the reason why, and that would put everything at risk!"

Konsilisto's eye widened even more in dread at the realization before he replied, "Do you really think it would come to that, brother?"

"It is a pity that _we_ have come to this, Konsilisto," Justeco sadly yet cryptically said. "It is all too complicated and yet, all wrong."

The Counselor paused momentarily in thought. He knew exactly what his brother meant because of their inborn telepathic link. Still, he wanted to be assured and so he asked, "But would Existence be in jeopardy if we merely returned the favor of our rescue with that of the Youngling's and the others who are unfortunately with him? Would that not correct the wrong as well?"

"You misunderstand me, brother," Justeco gravely said; and the look he gave his brother sent shivers up-and-down Konsilisto's spectral spine. "I am uncertain. If we interfere, we might merely create graver matters. If we do nothing, the grave things that have happened before may happen again."

"Then, if either option is complicated and dire, why can we not take the better risk to intervene for the good?" Konsilisto pressed.

"'For the 'good''…" Justeco almost laughed, but sorrowfully so, even as his thoughts drifted away from the conversation for only a brief moment. " _After all that has happened, especially by our doing, do we even understand what 'good' means?"_

He then sighed, "This is not like the last time we were facing the same kind of fear, brother. In Iluzisto's case, his mission was clear: all of Existence was in grim peril. But in _this_ case, I do not know whether I can determine the good in all of this. All I know is that we undoubtedly will add to the evil no matter what we do or do not do, like we have in those past instances."

"I will not accept what you are saying, Justeco!" Konsilisto gasped. "Evil has never come from us!"

"Has it truly not come from us, brother?!" Justeco suddenly snapped. "We have done more than our fair share of perpetuating it when we were blind to the ….concern and care of others for their own sake rather than to our blind duty. And as you know, we have been guilty of many evils all under the guise of 'guarding Existence'."

The High Tribune then sadly sighed before he added, "And now I know the weight of responsibility that Clockwork must bear every moment of his existence: having the knowledge and power to change things but being duty-bound to leave the course to destiny and free will. That obligation is indeed burdensome."

"Now that you have spoken about the Time Master," Konsilisto hopefully began, "What if we summon Clockwork?"

"You know that we severed his bond to us shortly after the Iluzisto affair. Though he is now more…open to listening to us rather than just forbearing with us, he has no more obligation to heed us as we are to interfere with what is happening to the Youngling. As you well know, he has not even visited us once since that time we severed his bond, though I can sort of understand his needing a—what do our young human friends say? —a 'breather' from us. …Besides—and even though I do not doubt his great powers—we both know well enough that _even_ Clockwork would _fail_ in this matter unless by some miracle he had help. And you know he is too proud to ask for that help."

Both of the Observants were silent for several more moments. They, too, were also wrestling with their own pride to ask Clockwork for his counsel in this matter. And that was because they were afraid that he would advise them not to interfere. But more than that, the brothers' cores were heavy at what their decision would mean for the Youngling and all of those now within Ĉasista's power. After all, Ĉasista was very powerful, and part of the Observant make-up was to be passive. It was as hard for them to overcome their passivity in facing a creature as mighty as Ĉasista as it would a person afraid of water to learn to swim.

Finally, Konsilisto offered, "But maybe we should call a special counsel of the Observants, or..." He paused a moment before glancing at the viewing orb and adding, "Or maybe even a council of the Others?"

"And for what purpose?!" Justeco countered. "All of Existence will be in instant peril if we call for a council with the other realms. It is our fault that we have come to this point in destiny! And it is rightly pertinent that it pleases destiny to have us suffer immensely from it. We should accept it."

Konsilisto didn't answer right away. But finally, he replied, "I am not satisfied with our decision, brother. We both once learned a valuable lesson about …meddling from Danny Phantom. We owe a great deal to him for what we learned. We should repay that debt...especially because of what we know about—and are _responsible_ for—Ĉasista."

This time, Justeco's eye widened in realization. He was quiet for several minutes and Konsilisto became more nervous.

But before the Counselor could press the issue more, his brother then said with both strength and softness in his voice, "I am glad you are my counselor, brother, for you are correct. We owe a great deal to the Youngling. And we did assume too much about Ĉasista and were not responsible—or brave— enough to counter her…dealings." He paused a moment at his next thought before he added, "And we do have a choice on rectifying it. However, anything we try to rectify the situation will compromise us. In addition, the risk for failure is extremely high; not to mention that it will be very, very difficult, dangerous and unpleasant. No, brother, we _cannot_ take that risk..."

Konsilisto was about to interrupt when the High Tribune raised his bony hand in gesture for him to let him finish.

Once Justeco was assured that his brother wouldn't comment yet, Justeco continued, "As I was saying, we cannot take that risk…unless we are very careful _on how_ we plan that risk…"

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 **[1] Fifty meters for those of you who live in the metric world!**

 **[2] Esperanto for: ghost-to-be**

 **[3] Listed collectively here. Latin for:**

 **What is this thing?**

 **Give me that!**

 **My turn!**

 **Why is this thing not changing?**

 **[4] Latin for: The Female. What Angelus-alvus called Sam since he doesn't know her name.**

 **[5] If you want to know more about Iluzisto and Okulo, you'll just have to read pearl84's and my story, "Seeing is disBelieving". You can find it listed under her name, pearl84, because fanfiction doesn't allow co-authors to post the same story under each of their names.**

 **[6] The three times: first, in the TV episode, "The Ultimate Enemy"; second, in my story, "His Own Worst Enemy" and third, in my story, "Gold Tested in Fire".**

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 **A/N: Hope this chapter was worth the wait! Until next time, dear readers, please give me an early Christmas present (the only one I'll ask for, actually!), and drop your thoughts into that convenient little box below! You'll be spreading the Christmas cheer early!**


	21. Chapter 21 Examining the Future

**A/N: Hiya, everybodee! I know it's been awhile but my awesome beta went on her own holiday adventure during the, well, holidays! But now, she's back and it's time to get back to fantasy! Now we're getting into the meat of the story. Enjoy the show!**

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Entanglement—Chapter 21—Examining the Future

Evil Dan was the first ghost who was able to rid himself enough of Ĉasista's venom to come to. Danny was next and Plasmius followed shortly thereafter.

All three, however, still had enough of the poison in their ghostly veins to make it difficult for each of them to think clearly, which suited the spider's purposes. She didn't want them to be able to resist her efforts to gain mental control over them. And she also made sure that enough poison remained to form a thin, red film over their eyes, which for all intents and purposes, make them essentially blind. For what she had planned for them, none of them would need their vision and; more importantly, their temporary blindness would force them to fully focus on _her_ thoughts. Of course, they were all still powerless since the ĉerko negated their powers and the spirit had made sure that each of them was gagged for the moment.

Ĉasista silently observed them all while they were fighting off the effects of her venom. After all, one of many measures of a ghost's power level was the ability for him or her to rid themselves of her poison. These three were all doing a very good job of it, too.

Interesting.

Glancing momentarily at Sam and deciding to ignore the frail human for now, Ĉasista concentrated on the three that held her most interest. A few moments later, she was satisfied that all three of the ghosts could comprehend what she was saying. She was also amused at each of them struggling immediately yet vainly to break their bonds.

"Ah, pets," she coolly and purposely said out loud when she saw all three sets of ghostly eyes jerk toward her eight.

Ĉasista paused only a moment as she smiled only to herself. Though the ghosts were blinded by their red 'masks', she could easily see through them. She could readily see that each set of those ghostly eyes was throwing very angry darts at her general direction! But what pleased her more was that their eyes only confirmed what she already knew about their cores.

Firstly—and even though there were exceptions— most ghosts who had red eyes had hot cores and most ghosts who had green eyes had cold cores. Those who had cold cores with red eyes or, conversely, had hot cores with green eyes, were usually much, much lower in power. But most importantly, she could tell by how intense the glow around their angry eyes were in spite of the red film over them that each of them was as powerful as she wanted.

Still, she was so satisfied at the moment that she allowed herself to play with them. She giggled at the irony just before she continued with a slight and hideous chuckle, "She hopes that you are comfortable." Then looking at their gagged mouths, she continued with a chuckle, "And she was not wrong about any of you. You do not jump to petty talk even when you are at a disadvantage."

Even though the three ghosts couldn't talk at the moment, she was mostly right about her last statement. Though Evil Dan and Vlad always studied their foes before reacting or even speaking with them and Danny usually mouthed off, all of them were too groggy to respond at the moment even if they could.

Suddenly, and before the three could even try to scan where they were, Evil Dan, Plasmius and Danny all cried in intense pain under their gags as Ĉasista's telepathic energy tore into each of their brains as if her power was dissecting their minds—which, in effect, it was.

But no sooner had she mentally assaulted them when all three ghosts were controlling their pain and muffled yells and now grunting in defiance. But what none of them knew was that Sam and Tucker had also been mentally attacked from their connection with Danny and were knocked out by the powerful blows!

The spider liked what she first 'heard' about the trio's reaction to her assault. They would not be disappointing in the least.

Keeping the ghosts from doing much of anything else but feel the terrible pain of her telepathy, and blocking them to her thoughts, the creature drew closer to Evil Dan. And then, keeping the hybrids' minds in control and fogged enough that they could not hear her, she mentally threw her thoughts only at the future Phantom…

" _So, pet,"_ she mentally began, " _Ĉasista already knows that you are indeed a most rare ghost and are the most driven of your companions. Driven by powerful talents as well: anger, recklessness, selfishness, and an intense lust for power and destruction. Delicious and ripe."_

Evil Dan startled and instantly stopped struggling against his bonds at hearing the sudden and foreign voice within his head. Though he didn't know how that was possible, he grew angry when he realized that the voice sounded a lot like the being that had addressed him when he had first awakened!

Even so, Dan was determined to give her a piece of his mind even if he couldn't do verbally because of his gag! He also resumed pulling at his bindings as he mentally spat back, " _I don't know who you or what this 'Ĉasista' is or how you did all this, but I don't care! Get out of my mind if you value your after-life!"_

" _Tsk-tsk, do not be hasty, pet!"_ Ĉasista insincerely cooed. _"But it is_ _ **your**_ _after-life about which you have to worry!"_

Dark Phantom mentally rebutted, _"As if a gazillion ghosts haven't said that to me before I destroyed them, even when they thought they had the upper hand! So, I'd like to see you try!_ "

" _Oh, but she will,"_ she smugly replied only to his mind.

She suddenly thrust more pain into his brain.

Evil Dan immediately hissed with the assault, but tried to fight back. But when he did, the pain increased ten-fold. He attempted to concentrate all the while grunting under the strain. He didn't understand why it felt as if his brain was put into a vise and the main screw was quickly and firmly tightening. After several more minutes of this mental tug-of-war, Dark Dan panted as he relented. He was extremely dizzy. Even so, he knew if he put up any more fight, his ghostly brain would be ghostly goo.

" _Aw, that is better, pet,"_ the spider spirit blew into his battered mind. _"As you have found out and no matter what you do, your powers are inferior to Ĉasista's. You will now answer her as she wants…"_

Though Dark Phantom really hadn't agreed to her announcement, he was too dizzy and drained at this point to resist again. But before he could clear his head, he heard the spider's voice echoing in his hurting mind, " _But first, what of the two who are with you?"_

The older Phantom didn't understand that the spirit was referring to Danny and Vlad. Instead, he mentally answered, _"I don't know what you're talking about, whoever-you-are. The only ones who were near me before I was brought here were two silly dweebs."_

Ĉasista knew that he meant the two young humans, for indeed, they had been captured together.

However, she instantly blocked his thoughts from her own as she mused only to herself, _"'Dweebs'? Is that the name of each of those two ghosts-to-be? How can that be? But no matter, she will find what she is looking for!"_

Ĉasista proceeded to probe Dark Phantom's mind even further. She would search to see whether he was a compatriot of the other powerful ghosts or not. After all, his ghostly DNA was similar to the other two…But even as she dissected his thoughts, which were deliciously evil and full of destruction, she could not find a meaningful link among the three.

She couldn't know that because Evil Dan's thoughts were so full of evil and mischief, that feeling any kind of link with Vlad and Danny had been long overpowered by those same thoughts.

Finally, she mentally asked him, " _So, pet, you are just as interesting at the other two powerful ghosts here…"_

But the older Phantom interrupted her, _"What other ghosts?"_ When he tried to blink and look around to search for them, he couldn't because his vision was still very, very blurry.

" _Aww, that is correct. Ĉasista has not give you the pleasure of seeing who else gives you and her the company,"_ she almost purred in self-satisfaction.

She was most certainly enjoying herself.

Evil Dan was not amused. He demanded to her mind, _"First of all, who are you and who is this 'Ĉasista'?_

The spirit rolled all of her eight eyes this time. She was annoyed about his demand because this was the _third_ creature in here who had asked her that annoying question. She hastily replied, _"Ĉasista will not repeat it again! Ĉasista is your mistress and captor, the one who is speaking to your mind right now!"_

Though that only partially satisfied the older Phantom, he put more effort into resisting his bonds and mentally replied with grit, _"You will not be my 'captor' for long!"_

Ĉasista was somewhat amused with his futile attempts, but she pushed on nevertheless because she was still following her self-assigned strict method, which was at this point for her to 'more thoroughly examine her prey'.

She nonchalantly pushed his thoughts away and inserted her own into his brain. " _As Ĉasista was saying, pet, it is true that you do not know of the others. But perhaps if she does show them to you, you will tell Ĉasista all that you know about them."_

But before Dark Dan could comment, he felt a wave of heat seemed to swath his body before it momentarily glowed red. Little did the ghost know that Ĉasista had pulled the rest of her poison out of his veins so that he could now see clearly. But as the older Phantom blinked several times to fully clear his vision, he felt the webbed capsule firmly holding him being lifted upward as if he were a swaddled child being lifted by his mother. And then, the spider illuminated an area just to his immediate left before the spider swung him and his cocoon around as one unit.

The blue-haired ghost's red eyes widened a bit before he smirked. _"Well, I'll be,"_ he mentally remarked now that he was more amazed than angry at the moment. He had still expected to see Sam and Tucker, not the two ghosts whom he had come from!

Even though he was also a prisoner, he was amused at seeing Vlad and Danny struggling as vainly with their bonds as he had! But they weren't looking at him. In fact, he could see a thick red haze over their eyes and guessed that they, too, had been essentially blinded by the creature still clutching at him.

But Ĉasista literally interrupted his musings as she jerked him back and secured his ĉerko back to its place on the wall, _"So, pet, you know these two, hmm? Tell her, are you all allies?"_

" _Allies? Allies?"_ Evil Dan mentally snickered, _"Hardly!"_

The spider scoffed at his answer and replied, _"If you are not allies—and although Ĉasista_ _ **knows**_ _that you recognized them—then, how do you know the Plasmius and the Daniel?"_

" _I don't!"_ he simply replied to her mind.

" _What?"_ she asked in a mixture of disbelief and confusion.

He flippantly said, _"Just like I said. I don't know them at all because in my world, they don't exist."_

Ĉasista paused in astonishment. What could this mean? How could this ghost have almost identical DNA with the other two ghosts they had been talking about and _not_ know anything about them? She was certain that he recognized them—and he didn't deny it when she told him that. Was he lying, then? No, her victims _couldn't_ lie to her once she had their brains in control. But then again, maybe she didn't have full control yet or maybe he was a rare ghost who could resist her powers enough to lie!

That last thought suddenly angered the Guardian. She sent her thoughts so forcefully to him that Dark Dan hissed with all the pain that suddenly seemed to cleave his ghostly brain in two, " _You will tell Ĉasista all that you know about the Plasmius and the Daniel, worm!"_

Still smarting under the mental assault, Evil Dan answered, " _I told you that they do not exist in my world!"_

" _What world?!"_ she demanded as she thrust more pain into his head.

" _T-The f-future one!"_ he barely was able to convey to her mind.

Not satisfied, the spirit mentally seethed, _"You are lying, worm! You are allies with the others!"_

The future Danny felt as if his head would explode if she didn't stop hammering his brain. Nevertheless, he was able to insist back, _"N-No! I-I'm telling you... the truth! I am from…the future…L-Look for the…chain…around my neck!"_

It was all that she could do to keep herself from destroying this creature that instant because she still thought he was lying! But then, she slightly paused at his insistence before she rejected it. What he said was impossible because she could not reach ghosts from other timelines or dimensions! She quickly searched his mind even as she exerted more pain into it because she was still angry.

" _Casista does not believe, you, worm!"_ she pressed.

Dan almost didn't hear her because the pain echoing in his brain was so bad. Nevertheless, he managed to answer her between his groans, _"I-I would…s-show it to you…m-myself if…my…ugh…h-hands were free! ….P-Please! Ugh, just…look..uh…a-around…m-my neck…"_

He could say no more and his gag smothered his painful groans. If this creature didn't stop hammering his head, he might never recover…

Once again, the she-spider hesitated; and lucky for the older Phantom, she stopped assaulting his mind…The ghost had sounded so desperate just now. Perhaps there might be some truth to his words…But then again, if he was somehow lying…

One of her forelegs slowly reached for the top of Evil Dan's costume before its claw hooked itself at its neck and yanked downward.

As if that claw was shear as scissors, the ghost's clothing rent loudly. But in addition, his spectral skin was also cut in her haste.

Ĉasista ignored the alternate-Danny's audible yet muffled hiss of pain as she continued to carve downward until she felt resistance. Her insectoid face puckered in a mixture of curiosity and puzzlement as she pulled harder against the resistance—without success! Finally, she twisted that claw and hooked firmly onto that little defiant object, all the while ignoring the audible grunts erupting from her victim as she continued to carve into his ghostly flesh with her search.

Finally, the spider pulled it upward and out from the now torn and open front part of Dan's costume. She ignored the ectoplasm coated on it as it clinked once it was pulled away from the ghost's body.

" _What is this?"_ she asked only herself as she momentarily severed the mental connection with the ghost but not her mental control over him. But then, she gasped when she saw the unmistakable initials adorning the medallion at the end of the chain.

" _Clockwork?!"_ the powerful spirit growled only to herself. _"What does the old schemer have to do with this? He knows all too well that he is no match for Ĉasista and could be easily destroyed if he dared to meddle!"_

A bit unsettled about her last thought, but rapidly re-focusing back to the ghost in front of her, Ĉasista reconnected their telepathic link and growled, _"How is it that you have this…jewel, pet?"_

Though Dan continued to feel the sting from the assault to his brain and now his lacerated ecto-flesh, he managed to compose himself and dryly say to her mind, _"I told you I'm from the future and I needed a way to get here. So, I sort of borrowed it, that is, without the consent or knowledge of the old rascal who owns it."_

" _And why would you want to come into the future, if you are indeed from the future, pet?"_ she countered suspiciously.

Dark Phantom stifled himself. If she could detect his plans for coming into the future, then she would know there was a definite connection between his younger self and him. But he quickly acted upon his next thought, _"I have an enemy I want to eradicate in this timeline, an enemy who would ruin my future world by bringing too much…goodness into it. Somehow, I think you can understand that."_

Though Ĉasista was amused by his cleverness, she fell into her own thoughts. " _If this one is from the future as he says, that might…complicate things…No matter. Ĉasista will take the chance and have her own way in her realm! Still…this also means that what she wants from him might not be pure enough…But no matter again, because that would be true if she had to_ _ **take**_ _it_ _from him. But as long as he gives it up willingly, which he will, she will take that chance. But she must know if it is pure enough."_

She refocused on her victim yet again and concentrated.

Suddenly, Dan felt something foreign penetrating his body. Though it wasn't physical or tearing his flesh at all, it might as well have been because the pain had significantly increased. And this pain was very different than what she had done to his brain for the last few minutes. It was as if something had its hand around his throat and squeezing it shut—even if he didn't need to breathe at all. But the feeling of suffocation was still there for some reason.

Little did he know that Ĉasista was done examining his mind and was now in the process of reaching his _core_ ….But to do that, she had to pull away the layers of semi-solid energy from its outer shell. She knew it was a delicate process because each ghost had different layers surrounding the core.

The number and quality of each layer depended on the experience, the strength—and most importantly, the _grit_ of the ghost. Here, she would find any ghost's essence. And, like the symbiotic and yet antagonistic relationship of yin and yang, the combined number and quality of all the layers was the source of the ghost's energy and power. She also knew that all ghosts were formed at a certain power level and remained at that power level for their entire existence. Still, her method of rending those layers to reach and then examine the core was different for each kind of core. Hot cores were the easiest for her to breach because her hot core could easily overwhelm any resistance. Warm cores were more of a challenge because if the power from her core overwhelmed it too much, it could be destroyed. And cold cores? For ghosts low on the Fantomos Scale of Power, it was tricky and they were more likely to be destroyed; but breaching them wouldn't be impossible. But powerful ghosts with cold cores? They were almost impenetrable…almost. But in the end, the process also had to be delicate so that her 'surgical incision' wouldn't puncture the core to the point that it wouldn't heal or even...destroy the ghost.

In the meantime, Dan began to pant under the strain that the spirit was exerting upon him. He instantly and desperately resisted. It didn't matter to him that he knew he still would have utterly failed to summon any of his powers because the ĉerko wouldn't allow it. But more than that, he failed miserably in trying to draw out one of his powers to counter her because in all honesty he didn't know what she was doing to him!

All he knew at this point that no matter what she was doing to him, it was beginning to hurt—badly!

Dark Phantom startled when all kinds of memories unexpectedly flashed very quickly in his mind. One moment, he was desperately trying to resisting the spirit, and the next, all of these images started to bombard his mind without his consent! Scene upon scene, like a quick movie trailer, momentous events of his mind played in his head—including feeling all of the emotions surrounding them. But what was really freaky was that it started with his most recent memories and moved backward chronologically and he was sure that he would be next 'viewing' the first memories he had after being 'created'—and the creature would discover that he knew about Plasmius and his younger self. But then, just as weirdly, as if a DVD was slowly being stopped before his earliest memories and then re-wound, he was now seeing all of those same memories before they 'stopped' moving chronologically forward, only to halted on one particular memory.

And none of it was happening by his consent! No matter how he tried to change the memories—or even his thoughts—the past imprints pushed onward in the same order—paired with pain!

The older Phantom hitched in a ghostly gasp underneath his webbed gag. What was she doing to him? He felt as if she was pawing at him, only that she was doing that _within_ him, which in effect, she was. He felt all sorts of sensations he didn't recall ever having…and they were very unpleasant!

How could that creature be doing this to him? The pain was so intense that he didn't realize that Ĉasista was manipulating all of that as she dissected the layers of his hot core and was sorting through his memories—and for more important things—as one would sort through a deck of cards in search of the ace of hearts.

Dan felt as if he were going crazy with the agony; and for the first time in his existence, the wicked ghost was…terrified.

But then, just as sudden, he heard Ĉasista's voice clamoring in his brain, only that, she wasn't talking to him…

" _Aww, his core is indeed very powerful and the source of some of the most interesting powers Ĉasista has seen in a very long time!"_ she mused as she delved more. _"Any one of them could be suitable…Oh, ho! Here is one that looks to be the best of the lot! Now, let's see how pure it is..."_

Now getting hungry to know more, the spider put more pressure on Phantom's core.

" _He has no one close to his core,"_ the spider remarked only to herself before she added, " _Good. Good_. _And he is cold-blooded in all of his actions…Perfect."_ But then, _s_ he slowly added, _"...except the most recent memories, that is_." She then paused on what that could mean. Then pushing onward in examining that part of the ghost's core she had become interested in, she added, _"No, no one affects his core…That is, not another_ _ **ghost**_ _….Hmmm…"_

She paused yet again before she touched his core at a particular place, and then directly addressed Dark Phantom, _"Though as disgusting as it is, you seem to have some…weak thoughts about a ghost-to-be! Though she must say that at least this one is a warrior with tenacity!"_

What was still vividly in the male ghost's mind—placed there by Ĉasista— stunned him to silence. He couldn't believe her 'accusation'. She had to be wrong! He immediately rejected the insinuation! He would never admit that this creature was somehow able to wrench out that insignificant warm feeling he thought he had been able to keep under wraps for several years now. Impossible! He couldn't have a miniscule amount of…feeling about _Valerie_ of all beings!

Even though he was in the midst of denying it, Evil Dan wasn't exactly sure when those…weak feelings had started, but he knew he had somehow…changed shortly after he had had that momentous fight with his younger, alternate-self. He still couldn't understand why the teenage Phantom had spared his after-life. But he didn't care. At first, he scoffed at the boy, thinking that he was just being the straight-laced chump he was.

He dismissed it…or so, he thought he had. Shortly afterward, a nagging feeling grabbed hold of his core and his arrogance toward the boy suddenly evolved into resentment. He hated the new feeling associated with that uncomfortable throb in his core. He would never entertain the notion that his younger alternate-self would have awaken his seriously entangled conscience. In fact, he rejected that concept as well, because after all, his humanity had been ripped out of him at his inception…

Or so, he thought…

But little did the older Phantom know was that all sentient creatures had…souls, which meant that all of them had…consciences, which were ingrained by design to discern right from wrong. Whether a ghost—or human, for that matter—chose to heed the promptings of their consciences or not was directly correlated to their free will.

In Evil Dan's case, he willfully squelched and choked off that conscience and he had had many years of practice at keeping it repressed.

But when young Danny Phantom cured him of the Dark Shadow Decay and spared his afterlife, that harden shell trapping Dark Dan's conscience cracked open a bit. Ever since that time—five years to be exact—the older ghost wasn't able to mend that crack, especially when that _other_ event happened shortly after he had been returned to his own timeline.

He was, of course, referring to his encounter with _Valerie_ shortly after he had returned…

His psyche had been in flux, the girl warrior had attacked and badly injured him when his guard was down…and when it seemed to be the end—again—for him, she, too, for some unfathomable reason, spared his afterlife!

True, she had also demanded a truce, a sort of ransom for his after-life. But she could have easily obliterated him at that time…

He often wondered why she had spared him; and as a result, that crack around his hardened core widened a bit more, breathing fresh air into his conscience.

The change, however, was minute. And for the most part, evil still reigned in his core. But on occasion, which he irritatingly called his 'spell of irrationality', he actually would do something less awful…and on very rare occasions, even something that others would call 'nice'….

And his feelings for the future Valerie unintentionally and unknowingly…grew. He actually admired her spunk, determination and ingenuity. And she was an excellent adversary, which gave him an odd sort of thrill to be around her, since no other human could come even close to her in getting into a stalemate with him.

An outsider would never call those feelings 'love', but it was as close as Dan Phantom would ever come to it. Fate even played a wicked trick of its own about that, for he was finding it more…acceptable to call Valerie those endearing names for the past five years, even if in the beginning, he had meant them to be sarcastic and condescending. He didn't care if Valerie thought anything…just as weak about him or not; because in the end, he couldn't help himself on the matter.

Of course, none of his unintentional musings was lost on Ĉasista. Though he was not as pure as she had hoped, she had found what she was looking for about him!

" _Yes, of course, that little piece of information, which seems useless to him, is the key that Ĉasista will use in the very near future to get the worm to do her bidding!"_ she almost purred to herself. _"Pity that she couldn't just take what she has found; but she knows all too well that if he does not give it willingly, it could be destroyed if ferociously taken…"_

Ironically, however, the Guardian didn't care in the least as she violently pulled her probing power away from Dark Dan's core.

Dan gasped in pain when it felt as if she had not only rent his core going in, she had brutally scraped it on the way out.

But then, he felt as if his mind was in a vice again when the spirit exerted more pressure on it. She wanted to keep control of and block his mind of her future plans at the same time. Though the blow didn't knock the older Phantom out, the pain it delivered scrabbled his thoughts...

In the meantime, Ĉasista had shifted to Dark Dan's left and set all of her eight eyes on…Vlad.

" _Now, then, now would be the time to scrutinize the Plasmius,"_ she almost giggled as she opened a telepathic channel to the older hybrid while keeping the other two powerful ghosts in so much mental pain that they were too helpless to resist…

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 **A/N: Well, then, I hope the wait was worth it for you and there were a few surprises for you** _—_ **wow, just like this new year might have a few surprises! *hears crickets*…Ahem, well, yes. I've always thought it would be interesting to explore the possibility of having Valerie and Evil Dan sorta become a 'couple'. After all, Danny was attracted to Valerie at one time and, of course, dated her for a short time. She, too, was attracted to him. So, why wouldn't it be possible for Valerie and Evil Dan—if Evil Dan became even a little good—to have some kind of romantic relationship? After all, there are literally no rivals for their affections in the future Amity Park. And it could begin like the kind of slow romance of the old TV show called 'Beauty and the Beast' (broadcast in the late 1980s)….Just a thought anyways, which is part of the reason for why this chapter came out this way…Hope y'all like it and will send your new year's thoughts down in that box below. Hope to hear from you soon!**


	22. Chap22 Trouble Begins With The Letter C

**A/N: Well, gang, it looks like the holidays are officially over because we're back on track for posting! Thank you for your patience with my last two very late postings. But, hopefully, it will be the last of that until, well, the next round of holidays! LOL. As you remember, Sam is out for the count, and Tucker is in the clutches of the Angeli and also out for the count. Ĉasista has just examined Evil Dan and left him helpless and dazed and her plans are to move on to the next ghost in line…Hmmm…we shall see. Enjoy the show!**

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Entanglement—Chapter 22—Trouble Begins with the Letter 'Ĉ'

When Ĉasista approached Vlad and began to delve into his mind, a hideous smile of amusement broke over her insectoid face when she felt a slight resistance to her probing. Though she knew she could easily crash through it, she was also a bit amazed by it. This low creature should be so disarmed mentally at this point that he shouldn't be able to even _think_ of resisting. And here he was, somehow trying to block her mentally in spite of her poison! Not only that, but he was struggling against the ĉerko and she could hear his muffled rumbles as he thrashed.

A few of her eyes then drifted over to Danny and she could readily see that the young one was also grunting and fighting against her poison and his bonds as well. She then shifted some of her mental attention onto his mind and was surprised to feel an even stronger resistance to her mental fingers!

 _"Interesting,"_ the she-spider mused only to herself, initially very fascinated by these creatures who shared DNA with the future ghost she had just examined.

A set of eyes rolled over to and briefly focused on Evil Dan before she continued, _"Why was the most powerful one—who is still somehow similar to these two –unable to fight Ĉasista's mental control nor her poison, even when he is significantly stronger than either of these?"_ Then all of her eyes split and looked back at the two hybrids at the same time as she continued to ponder, _"And why are these two even able to put up **any kind** of a fight? Her poison still flows enough in their spectral veins that they should not be able to think well enough to plan any kind of resistance._"

All eight eyes twitched and flared a little in thought before she decided, _"Let her see, then, which of these two can withstand even more power…"_

The spider immediately exerted more force behind her mental assault on both half-ghosts.

Both of them immediately hissed under the attack. But then, to her surprise, Ĉasista felt them fight back! Now intrigued on their ability to do this, she concentrated and countered with even more force.

Suddenly, Plasmius's cry of pain was loud enough to be heard over his gag. No more than a moment later, the older hybrid stopped struggling, his red eyes dulled, and his head dropped to his chest.

The Guardian was pleased that her attack hadn't actually knocked him out because she could see that he was still panting from the blow. But she could also sense that his thoughts were scrambled enough that he would no longer be able to resist and she could easily gain full control of his mind.

When a few of her eyes drifted over to Danny, however, the she-spider could see that not only was he still struggling and grunting in spite of the pain electrifying his brain, but she could also sense that for some odd reason, she hadn't gained full control over his mind on this round! In fact, instead of seeing passivity surround his face, the young one's eyes were scrunched closed and his brow was furrowed. Perplexed, she tried to connect with him again, only to sense that he was somehow able to effectively block her telepathy!

How could that be? No ghost could do that, even if it had a cold core!

Now both fascinated and irritated about this unexpected complication, she impulsively skirted over to the Ghost Boy instead of Vlad as she had first planned. Still, she made sure she continued to keep Plasmius and Dark Phantom in a mental fog.

At first, Ĉasista merely increased the intensity of her mental assault on the boy's brain and she could sense that he was in tremendous pain since his grunts were now audible even under his gag! Still, she could not open a telepathic channel with him!

But then, she unexpectedly ramped her power down. When she saw and felt the boy relax, she intensified her assault again. And this time, she felt the block to the telepathic channel give way!

"Arrghh!" Danny grunted in pain at this second assault. It was so bad that he couldn't open his eyes now even if he wanted to. Even when he didn't know where this second wave—or even the first round—of pain had come from, he couldn't know that it was Ĉasista who had been attacking his mind because he had never seen her and only heard her just a few minutes ago. So, at first, he thought the first wave of pain was just the lingering effects of whatever had knocked him out the first time. Nevertheless, the effect of the first assault was enough to weaken his resolve so that he couldn't block the second mental attack.

Now, his mind was growing numb under Ĉasista's telepathic powers!

As she tried to solidify her mental connection to the boy, the she-spirit frowned before her eyes drifted between Vlad and Danny. She was supposed to be examining the Plasmius, not dealing with this complication!

All eight of her eyes focused back on Danny. And that one! He had given her more trouble! In fact, she could tell he was still resisting her mental tentacles!

It was time that she completely knocked the fight out of him.

She gave into her impulse and mentally addressed the boy.

" _S-So_ , juna fantomo, **[1]** _you put up an impressive fight against Ĉasista. She is intrigued with you,_ " she almost cooed only to his mind.

Danny mentally startled when he heard a strange female voice echoing in his mind, and it sounded a lot like the creature that had earlier addressed him before he felt his brain sizzle in pain. He shot his eyes open and he searched in vain for someone or something nearby but his vision was extremely blurred. Though he couldn't see her and felt his mind was beginning to drift and his focus was waning, a random thought did manage push through: it immediately reminded him about the time that Jiva had controlled his mind! He frowned, closed his eyes again in concentration and replied with grit, _"Who are you and what do you want?"_

But he only heard a hideous chuckle rivet through his mind in response before the voice finally replied, _"As she said, you are clearly the most interesting of the three..."_

 _"Three? Three what? And who is 'she'_?" he immediately asked, intending to keeping those questions to himself.

But then, he also mentally chided himself when it was clear in the next moment that the female entity had just 'heard' his private thoughts.

 _"No worries, pet. All your questions will be explained,"_ Ĉasista casually replied.

She then pulled more poison out of his veins to the point that the red haze around his eyes cleared.

Danny felt the pressure off of his eyes and his vision was slowly clearing. But he instantly wished it hadn't when the first thing he saw were eight glowing-red eyes practically mesmerizing him and drilling holes through him at the same time!

The boy shirked back into his ĉerko when he could feel the hair on the back of his head bristle. Yet, he still was able to look past those eight eyes and see the aura outlining a huge ghostly beast…that looked like a spider!

He swallowed his fear down and till managed to mentally demand, _"You still haven't told me who you are or what you want!"_

She then mentally frowned in irritation when she could tell that the young fantomo was being brash. She was about to rebuke him when she suddenly sensed that he was trying to mentally block her again! She immediately shot more pain into his brain; and from his mental and muffled screams, she knew that his effort was stifled again.

 _"If you try to block Ĉasista's thoughts again, worm, she will fry your brain!"_ she hissed, and each word seemed to shoot electricity into Danny's mind.

Danny slowed his pants after that last mental assault. He felt as if a sledgehammer had hit his head and was still on top of it! And he could barely comprehend what his assaulter said next.

 _"Aww, that is better, pet, that you have decided to listen,"_ she said with fake softness. _"First of all, the 'she' you ask of is the one who has control of your mind and is addressing you; that is, the 'she' is Ĉasista, the Guardian of the Sfero de Ĥaoso."_

Those last words helped the boy focus again. Danny's eyebrows reflexively shot up in shock as he mentally uttered, _"The Sfero de Ĥaoso? I'm in the Sfero de Ĥaoso? Look, er, Cast—uhm, Ms. Guardian, I came here by mistake! Some portal…thing grabbed a hold of me even when I tried to avoid it. I didn't want to invade your turf! And…"_

The she-spider butted in, _"It is with purpose that Ĉasista brought you here, the Daniel! In some ways you are indeed the most interesting creature among the three here when you have been able to resist her the best. And, she wants to know how one so young and unique as you can have such desirable power!"_

Danny was taken aback by her comment and that she somehow knew his name! He couldn't know that Vlad had gasped out his name when the older hybrid had first seen him. Nevertheless, he didn't have any idea what she was talking about. And there was that 'three thing' again! What did that mean? But he wasn't about to ask her….but then, he remembered her last comment…and he felt his throat tighten in worry…True, he had many powers, but why did this creature inside his head care? Unless…He gulped when he could only guess the reason.

Once again, he dared to mentally reply, _"I'm not any more special than any other ghost, so.… "_

Suddenly, he scrunched his eyes shut when he felt as if his skull was about to crack in two with all the pain as the spider mentally hissed, " _You are resisting again, worm!"_

The pain was enough to scramble the boy's thoughts and gave Ĉasista the open door to finally search his mind as she had done to Evil Dan. As if she were a high-tech sensor, she scanned his brain.

She was puzzled about the results and keeping her thoughts from flowing into Danny's mind, she mused, _"This one is definitely more stubborn than the first….he has a tendency to be prideful and prone to recklessness. Highly desirable qualities…"_

But as if her mind was a computer finally feeding more data into its microchip, the spider suddenly frowned in disgust as she thought, _"Even though this young one has many of the things Ĉasista desires...they are heavily tainted by other…less useful, ugh, and 'good' characteristics….However, these are also his weaknesses, which, of course, could well serve her purposes in the end ."_

The spirit frowned again. She still was not pleased that so far; the future powerful ghost she had examined had…imperfections, which could interfere with her ultimate plans…And she had yet to thoroughly scrutinized the Plasmius. Still, she was not eager to let the youngest ghost alone right now. She reflexively gave into her impulse to know a bit more about this young one.

She opened the telepathic channel again and was pleased that the young creature hadn't tried to resist her efforts this time.

She finally said to Danny's mind, " _Ĉasista will ask you the same thing as she asked the others._ "

 _"Others? What others?"_ Danny managed to ask.

But then, the boy gasped and shot open his eyes when he felt his body and ĉerko being wrenched from the wall and lifted upward.

He desperately scanned the area in front of him, even if it were all a blur with how fast the spider was moving him. Suddenly, he was jerked to a stop before he had to slightly squint his eyes when the area right in front of him was suddenly illuminated.

As soon as Danny's vision cleared, he gasped in disbelief when he saw Evil Dan and Plasmius! But they both looked dazed and their heads were lulling a bit. Not only that, but there was fresh ectoplasm still oozing down Evil Dan's chest and torn costume! Much as that upset the boy, at the same time his core constricted when all the painful memories of the two ghosts he was now looking at suddenly cloaked it. He immediately tried to swallow the hard lump in his throat at the anxious memories.

But Ĉasista had not missed a thing.

 _"A-ha! You **do** know these two_ fantomos **[2]**!" she triumphantly said to his mind.

Danny pushed away his painful memories concerning these two that had suddenly gripped him, and refocused on this newest dilemma.

 _"Yes, I do,_ " he admitted.

 _"And you three are allies, are you not?"_ she queried.

 _"Allies?"_ Danny asked in complete shock before he rebounded and mentally said through gritted teeth, _"After all the crud they put me through, the **last** thing I would be is their ally!"_

 _"What?!"_ she asked, truly bewildered by his response. _"But how is it that you share a bond amongst you…?"_

 _"Are you kidding? We aren't pals in the least!"_ Danny mentally said in indignation.

But then the boy stopped and struggled to concentrate on blocking her from hearing his thoughts right now…He paused again and somehow knew he had been successful! He hurriedly wondered how this creature could somehow detect that they did have, well, something in common. Not only that, but how could she know about that when at least he had never encountered her before?...Maybe she had asked the same question to those two boneheads? No, because if they had answered her, then why was she asking him right now?

Finally, the younger hybrid added, _"But we're all ghosts, if that what's you mean."_

The she-spirit scrunched up her insectoid face when she felt him resist her again. She should not have allowed such laxity in controlling him. Still, she angrily demanded, _"But you **know** them!_"

Danny hesitated. Why was this creature so interested if he did know them? Was that the only reason why she had captured him was for him to identify these two losers?

He finally answered with a nervous mental chuckle, _"Well, if that's all you want to know, then yes, I hate to admit that I know them."_

He motioned with his head and continued, _"That one over there is Dan Phantom. He's a ghost that came from the future by mistake…"_

Suddenly, Danny's heart constricted at his next thought. His friends! If his putrid evil-self was here, where were his friends?

But he made himself choke that thought away for now lest the she-spider detect it.

Then swallowing hard and motioning with his head yet again, Danny added, " _And the other one is Vlad Plasmius. Both of them are evil ghosts I not only try to avoid, but are also the last ghosts I ever want to see!"_

Danny then hissed when it felt as if an earthquake had suddenly erupted in his brain. Ĉasista was mentally attacking him again! Yet, he managed to mentally pant out, _"Ow! Ow! W-Why are you h-hurting me? I-I told you what y-you wanted to know!"_

But instead of answering him, Ĉasista inflicted more pain on the boy. She was certain that the boy knew more than just the names of the other powerful ghosts, but her patience had been spent in trying to coax it out of the obstinate young creature!

She ignored Danny's muffled grunts of pain as his body helplessly contorted within his cocoon. And she only stopped when she was sure that he was barely conscious.

However, neither of them knew that this new assault had been enough to keep Sam and Tucker from recovering right away from Ĉasista's earlier mental attack on the boy.

The spider could tell that the young ghost's mind—and, more importantly, his core—was more pliable now.

The spirit immediately focused her dissecting powers onto his core, only to actually grunt in effort when she felt a frozen wall surrounding it!

 _"Impossible!"_ she said only to herself. _"Even though she knew this little one was strong, she has never encountered such a powerful cold-core before!"_

Her insectoid face puckered in dissatisfaction because she knew if she used too much power in examining this young creature's core, she could very well destroy it before she detected what she wanted.

Nevertheless, she exerted a little more force upon that icy shield—though carefully so.

But then, she felt even more resistance to this attempt, as if some icy fingers had pushed away the focal beam of her power!

Perplexed, she momentarily stopped in thought, though her virtual scalpel was still near Danny's core. And then she heard something, odd…In fact, it sounded like a slow series of the same sound: _tha-dums…_ No ghostly core made that sound! All eight of her eyes twitched before they and the jewel under her abdomen suddenly flared in all sort of colors, as if they were a Christmas tree twinkling with different colored lights.

Suddenly, she didn't care what that sound was! After all, this young ghost was unique as he was powerful…and that sound might be how _his_ core pulsed…

Little did she know, however, that she had just discovered that Danny was a half-ghost, since what she heard was not his core, but his human heart, which was very close to his core. True, whenever Danny was in his ghost form, his human heart slowed considerably down, as if he were hibernating. But, it never stopped or else he truly would be…dead. However, whenever Danny was in his human form, the pulse of his core became almost undetectable, even when, it, too would never stop. If it did, Danny would not have been able to summon and use some of his ghostly energy in his human form.

But the spider-spirit overlooked that fact. All she cared about was to find what she was searching for within the boy's core…Now livid, the she-spider growled as she carved with more force, all the while ignoring Danny's shouts of pain that were stifled by his gag. After a few moments, she knew she had breached that thick protective layer surrounding his core.

Danny's mind, meanwhile, was jolted to more alertness shortly after Ĉasista had started to dissect his core.

He thought that having her tear into his mind was bad enough because that pain was intense. But whatever she was trying to do to him right now was even worse! He couldn't even describe this pain, except that he felt something was stabbing his core! And if it continued, it might also reach his nearby heart!

"Mmmarrggh!" he yelled, even if it was still muffled.

The younger hybrid tried to literally pull away from that awful feeling, but, of course, he could hardly move within his ĉerko. Nevertheless, he scrunched his eyes and concentrated in resisting that internal attack—even if he really didn't know exactly how he was going to do that!

 _"T-T-r-ry, ugh, to, arghh, b-block it!"_ he goaded himself amid the pain.

Suddenly, Danny felt a chill pulse outward from his ghostly core, as if it was instinctively protecting itself. A moment later, he could feel a little relief from the painful pressure, only to scream in agony in the next instant when the spider-spirit poured more of her energy into his core's protective shell!

Danny was now sweating and panting as well as yelling in pain as Ĉasista's efforts punctured a tiny crack into his core! The boy thought he was going to faint from the pain, but he gritted his teeth as he desperately tried to counter the attack.

But before the young ghost could manage to pull up what actually would be his Spectre energy to counter her, he startled when he could hear the spider gasp out loud!

 _"Outrageous!"_ the spider screamed only to herself after she had momentarily lost control. _"No ghost should not be able to repair its core that quickly!"_

She tried to push onward, only to feel that frozen wall again!

Once again, Ĉasista suddenly stopped invading Danny's core. She puckered up her grotesque face. This was going to be more of a fight than she had planned…She should have known better to give into her impulse to examine this cold-core ghost first instead of following her original plans, which meant she should be examining the Plasmius now!

Suddenly, then, her intense desire to remain true to her rigid method of examining ghosts was demanding her to correct her actions…after all, having these kinds of ghosts—even ones with cold cores—was not…new.

But Ĉasista refused to further chide herself. In fact, before she would break away, she wanted to see if any of this tug-of-war with this obviously very powerful cold-core ghost had been worth the effort. Once more, she focused on whatever imprints surrounding that temporary breach she could decipher…

 _"Hmmm,"_ the spider mused only to herself as she analyzed the results as if she were a forensic detective. " _When she did breach it, she did get a glimpse into only one of the young ghost's memories—though it was a very powerful one. And that memory was all that she would need to know right now, for it is the key to his undoing!_ "

She suddenly chuckled to herself, _"Pathetic, indeed, that this powerful, very valuable_ juna fantomo _should have such intense, yet distasteful, feelings…about any_ fantomo-al-esti _**[3]…** but especially when that particular_ fantomo-al-esti _is **here** and within the power of Ĉasista!"_

A hideous smirk formed on her insectoid face as she continued in some delight, " _Yes, Fate has looked favorably on Ĉasista that she has found this_ juna fantomo's _weakness! Though that might make what she wants from him less pure, it is the better way to open his core. Ha! Ĉasista knew that the puny female human was important, but she did not realize **how** important until now!"_

Suddenly, she pulled completely away from Danny's core and out of his body. She ignored more of his muffled screams from her violent release. She didn't care in the least that she might as well as have been pulling an ice pick out of his chest! Nor did it bother her that his head had fallen to his chest and that she left him extremely dizzy from the pain.

Though very dazed, the boy couldn't help but groan to himself, _"'Trouble' doesn't begin with 'T'. It begins with 'Ĉ'!"_

Meanwhile, a few of Ĉasista's eyes glanced at the stunned young ghost before others skirted over to …the Plasmius.

Keeping the minds of Evil Dan and now Danny under her control, she drew nearer to the older hybrid. She would complete his thorough examination and then hurriedly return to finishing the same on this youngest one…after all, time was definitely in her command in her realm!

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 **[1] Esperanto for 'young ghost'** **.**

 **[2] Esperanto for 'ghosts'.**

 **[3] Esperanto for 'ghost-to-be'.**

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 **A/N: Wouldn't it be neat for all of you to send me a mental comment about this chapter? But, alas, my telepathy is rusty, so please drop a few lines in that box below to let me into your brain. I promise I won't fry it like Ĉasista has done to Evil Dan and Danny so far! Until next time, dear readers!**


	23. Chapter 23 Decisions, Decisions

**A/N: Hiya, everbodee! I missed y'all but my wonderful beta has had some rough days lately and I don't like posting unless she has given me her seal of approval—especially when this chapter deals with HER fav ghost! But a slight recap and clarification are in order based on some reviews I got. Tucker is unconscious and in the clutches of the Angeli in the larger sphere in this realm.** **Ĉasista** **does not know that Tucker has escaped. Sam is also unconscious. Skulker is still very much a prisoner but the story has 'ignored' him so far because** **Ĉasista has been 'ignoring' him so far, too. Skulker, however, is very much alert throughout this whole thing. Ĉasista** **has been more interested in the other 3 powerful ghosts and has just examined Dan and Danny, searching for a certain something from each of them that will serve her purpose in many ways. She had success with Dan and only limited success with Danny in that she has discovered their weaknesses, but has not discovered what she desires from Danny yet. And now, she has turned her sights on the third of the trio of powerful ghosts in her clutches, and I'm sure you can guess who that is! I'm sure that those of you still with me now realize that I'm into the psychological thrills (also known as mind games) as well as action.**

 **Let me finish this drabble with the disclaimer I haven't done much of lately (because it's so annoying), but I do NOT own any Danny Phantom characters, but I DO own the original characters and this story!**

 **Now, it's on with the show! Enjoy!**

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Entanglement—Chapter 23 — Decisions, Decisions

As Ĉasista had done with the other two powerful ghosts, she regurgitated and sampled the ectoplasm she had siphoned from Plasmius when she had first captured him. She still was puzzled by how bitter it was.

Nevertheless, the she-spider then scanned the older hybrid's mind for its secrets.

After several moments of study, she mused only to herself, " _Ah, this one is very clever and cautious indeed. He is also a very inquisitive and analytical ghost similar to the Skulker. Yet, unlike the Skulker, this ghost is too confident in his abilities, pitiful as they are…..And like the other more powerful ghosts here, he is full of pride and is very stubborn…Perhaps then, he might be the most perfect victim for her plans, but she must be sure."_

The Guardian frowned with what she sensed next. _"Ugh. This one may not be as hardened as Ĉasista first thought, and he is definitely not as hardened as the future one… Though what this Plasmius possesses are weak qualities that make him imperfect, they may well serve Ĉasista purpose in the end…But it will have to wait until she peers into his core, of course…But, she is still has not been satisfied why he and the others have some sort of a bond."_

She finally dispelled the rest of the poison within the older half-ghost.

As the red aura around Vlad's eyes dissolved and he came to more of his senses, he was aware of something pressing against his mouth. He was gagged! And though he frowned at feeling an odd, weighted pressure over his eyes suddenly lifted, he still couldn't see completely clearly when he opened his ghostly eyes.

But before he could think about that any further, the spider addressed him mentally, _"So, pet, Ĉasista needs more information from you."_

Vlad startled slightly at the female voice that had unexpected just rattled his brain. He knew, of course, that the filthy she-spider had invaded his head again; but he wasn't going to let her get the better of him on this round!

" _Hmmm…_ _More information, you say?"_ he coolly blew over to her mind—especially when he was still gagged and had no other choice! _"It would depend on exactly what information you want. Of course, I might not have it in the end. But if I do, then, what will you do for me in return, eh?"_

All eight of the spider's eyes arched in a mixture of surprise and amusement. At least _this one_ bantered back the best!

Nevertheless, she telepathically replied, _"Ĉasista has asked the other two powerful ghosts the same question, but their answers have been unsatisfactory…"_

She paused; and when she did, Plasmius calmly said, _"I am listening…"_

She snickered a bit more in amusement. He really did want to sound as if he were in control even when in reality, he had no choice _but_ to listen since she controlled his mind! Interesting fool.

Very well.

She humored him and replied, " _Ĉasista knows that you have seen and recognized the two other powerful ghosts she brought here. You called the young one, 'the Daniel'; and Ĉasista is certain you recognized that other one, the one called 'the Dan-Phantom', when she first brought him here. You are too clever a ghost to deny that you, the Daniel, and the 'Dan-Phantom' share common spectral DNA energy. Why is that?"_

Vlad really didn't want to tell her the whole story about the three of them, mostly because he hated to be forced to do anything! Besides, it really was none of her business! He then threw his thoughts at her to try to steer her in another direction, " _Yes, well, that is a most curious question for us both. But as I asked before: what will you give me in return for telling you all that I know?"_

But when the older hybrid saw her hideous face contort into an even more hideous scowl, he hurriedly added, " _Ah, but, of course, we can always iron out the details later! In the meantime, I am just as perplexed as you about the 'Dan Phantom' creature. I don't know how or why that ghost is even in this dimension and timeline because he is from the future!"_

" _If he is from the future as you say, how is it that you could possibly know of him, then, eh, pet? Then, you must know that you are so…similar to him in your make-up, eh?"_ she coyly countered.

Plasmius bit his lip at his gaffe. Still, he glanced at the future ghost, who was to his right, before he briefly grinned in triumph.

He quickly replied with a slightly haughty, yet confident, tone, _"I make it my business to investigate ghosts who could be a threat to my territory. I would think that you would appreciate that. I had already heard a lot of stories about a future ghost named 'Dan Phantom' who was somehow able to enter our timeline and dimension. Those stories included how he looked. Frankly, I didn't believe those stories until I actually saw what looked like that creature when you first brought him here. I merely assumed that he must be that mysterious future ghost; but now I am certain since you yourself have identified him. How he got here and what he has to do with me is beyond my imagination."_

Ĉasista's insectoid face contorted in sudden impatience and as she reflexively exerted her power upon the ghost, she angrily hissed, _"Ĉasista does not believe you, worm! She must know how you, the Dan-Phantom and the Daniel are connected!"_

Vlad hitched in a gasp from the pain that suddenly seemed to burn his brain. But more than that, he could tell that something foreign had just attacked his **core** as well, and he didn't have to guess who was doing it. Still, he refused to ever acknowledge, much less thank, the spider for goading him into resisting her more! And he knew exactly how he was going to do that. He concentrated; and all of the sudden he felt flush with fever. He knew that his ecto-acne antibodies were pulsating with energy as he resisted her painful pressure. And then, his quick mind formulated a quick ruse…

Managing to control his breathing in spite of the pain, he coolly threw his thoughts to her, _"Alright! I will tell you what you want to know…"_

The spirit paused in her probe into his core and telepathically demanded, _"Make it quick!"_

Vlad tightened his lips under his gag and mentally replied, _"There cannot be any connection among the three of us…_

He couldn't help but groan when it suddenly felt that a hot laser beam had just impacted his core! Obviously, then, that the spirit didn't like his reply! Now irked by her impatience, he angrily objected, _"Really, Ĉasista, how can I explain anything to you, when whatever you are doing will just distract me?_ _At least give me a moment to tell you what I know!_ _"_

The spider pulled back in her examination of his core. Indeed, this was very surprising! And this one was certainly the cleverest of the three!

" _Alright,"_ she finally said, still annoyed. _"Ĉasista will listen for now and it had better be worth the wait!"_

Vlad frowned in slight worry. He, too, hoped it was a good enough story. He was already determined not to tell her the truth because he _still_ thought it was none of her business, especially if she was going to include pain in the bargain! Besides, he still did not know of her true intentions; and so, the more he could learn about her –while keeping her in the dark about him-might increase his odds at outwitting her and escaping.

Finally, he continued, _"As I was saying, having a connection among the three of us is impossible because I am a half-ghost, while they are full ghosts!"_

All eight of Ĉasista's eyes widened. Then what the Skulker had said was true! This one _was_ a half-ghost! She paused in thought. Perhaps this was why the taste of his aura was so bitter! But the youngest ghost: his aura also tasted just as bitter! But the Plasmius just said that the young one was a full ghost…so…

But her thoughts were interrupted as Vlad continued to weave his own web of deception, _"Tell me, Ĉasista, have you ever encountered a half-ghost before?"_

Though she said nothing, the older half-ghost somehow knew that she didn't know…and that only empowered him.

" _Well, I am sure you have not; but as clever as you are, I am sure you knew this about me already_ ** _and_** _must know that I am the_ ** _only one_** _._ _However, I would think that our association would have been under different circumstances. And I would think that you would know that half-ghosts specialize in mimicking and even warping the signatures of other ghosts…I discovered that many years ago and have taken advantage of that to deceive my foes. So, you see, this ability is why it seems that those other two and I are connected, when, if fact, it is impossible."_

The spider's eyes twitched while they flashed in different colors…She was unsure how to take the news…But then, she grew irritated on how something like a 'half-ghost' could have happened. No! No one could know more than Ĉasista!

Suddenly, she had to know more! But before she acted on her impulse, Plasmius seemed to sense her violent intentions, and quickly pressed on, _"I can prove it to you! I will not fight you if you want to continue with your examination of my core. In fact, let me guide you through it…Otherwise, if you should be too forceful, what you really want from me will be useless!"_

Once again, Ĉasista stopped in indecision, since she was surprised once again that this one had deduced that she wanted more than just to know the connection among these three powerful ghosts. Was this part of his ability of being a half-ghost, then? After all, she really had never heard of half-ghosts before the Skulker had told her of them. And that would explain why it seemed that there was some of connection among the three ghosts she was most interested in…Maybe what this clever creature said was true…

" _But then again, is this one really the only half-ghost as he said?"_ she mused only to herself. _"And he is willing to let Ĉasista see for herself that this is true even when he cannot lie under her power? Perhaps this one is completely worthless to Ĉasista's plan and she should discard him unexamined. After all, only a coward of a ghost would give up so easily with as much power as this one has!"_

Little did she know that Vlad Plasmius was so skilled at deception that he could pass a lie-detector test with flying colors!

The spirit hesitated yet again. " _She is uncertain, as she really does not know anything about half-ghosts, er, this sole half-ghost. Perhaps it is merely part of this creature's nature to be so…cooperative…"_ She frowned in suspicion as she countered, " _No, otherwise, he would not have resisted earlier…Then again, knowing his true nature is vital, as Ĉasista still needs some kind of assurance that his existence does not threaten the Kosmon. [1] Not only that, but she wants to be sure that he will not resist her and will do her bidding when the time comes."_

Now definite of her next step, she concentrated her scalpel-like powers on his core.

Meanwhile, Vlad stifled another gasp of pain when he knew that the spirit had re-started her 'examination' without his being ready for it.

Though he reflexively wanted to resist her, he steeled himself and threw his thoughts at her as nonchalantly as he could, _"A little warning would have been_ _prudent, but if you would move slowly, you will not damage my core…But first, let me call your attention to a certain sound you're going to hear any moment now…"_

Ĉasista hated to admit that she was definitely fascinated by the guile and wit of this one. And time was on her side, so it wouldn't hurt to humor this one yet again—though _only_ for a _very_ short while. She listened as he had instructed even as she continued to slowly infiltrate his core.

And then she heard it.

 _Tha-dum…tha-dum._

The sound was faint and very intermittent, but definitely there.

Before she could think of what that could be, Vlad mentally spoke up, _"I'm sure you heard it. That is the proof I told you that I would present that I am half-ghost…That sound is my_ _ **human heart**_ _beating. But since I am in my ghost form, now, that heart is in near hibernation…"_ He stopped a moment in concentration before he continued, _"However, there is something important about my being a half-ghost that you should know before you continue exploring my core…"_

The older hybrid knew that the spider had stopped probing because the pain had lessened. He carefully added, _"Perhaps if we can come to some kind of agreement first, I will explain all that and you could avoid a lot of unnecessary complications."_

All eight eyes of the she-spider suddenly narrowed in irritation. Even though she didn't know about half-ghosts, she was done toying with this low creature! She suddenly hissed and the pain shooting through Vlad's mind almost knocked him out! And each of her words were as chisels cutting through his mind:

" _Ĉasista makes_ _ **no**_ _bargain with any ghost, much less an even more inferior one, that is, a_ _ **half-ghost**_ _as you say that you are! You have but one purpose to her plans, as you will see soon enough!"_

Plasmius knew he had overspent his bluff. Still, he mentally countered, _"Perhaps you would be surprised to see that my purpose is multifaceted, if only…._ _''_

But the older half-ghost could not finish that thought because he was reeling in pain! She had tripled her efforts into boring into his core and he thought for a moment that even his human heart would freeze to a stop from all of the agony!

He barely heard her next telepathic comments, _"Where is your arrogance and confidence now, half-ghost worm?! You see, Ĉasista, does not need your permission; and therefore, you are really foolish to try to bargain with her!_ _Ĉasista is_ _all powerful, and she does and takes as she wants!_ "

Still, he tried to muster a defense. But any effort he made to counter her force quickly crumbled under her power. Too bad he acknowledged too late the possibility that he _wasn't_ the most powerful creature in the universe! As he contorted in tremendous pain within his ĉerko and the gag muffled his screams, he suddenly felt very helpless as the she-spider partially dissected his core.

Even as the older-hybrid's mind was flooded with all sorts of fragmented images and memories, he could not discern any one of them because of the intense pain that was also shooting throughout his body. At this point, all he could do was hope that he would survive this 'examination'.

As she had done to the other two powerful ghosts, Ĉasista's dissection was still careful and purposeful. She sorted through the various facets of the Plasmius's hot core.

" _Hmmm…interesting. This creature is certainly calculating through and through. Even his core is logically laid out….And even more interesting…his core can…What? Impossible! His core can actually generate energy? She needs to know more!"_

Ignoring the more audible shouts of agony from Vlad, the she-spider's hot, laser-like probe continued to penetrate the half-ghost's core as easily as a hot knife cut through butter…

After a few more moments, she shouted only to herself, " _Ah, yes, this worm was right! He possesses several most unique abilities. Ĉasista has never encountered such power….Perhaps his being a 'half-ghost' is the reason…and if her ignorance of half-ghosts even as she takes it all from him causes him his doom, so be it, for Ĉasista will still have it! Now, as to its purity…"_

The Guardian then frowned in some disappointment when she detected something undesirable. " _Odd that this unique half-ghost would have more than one weakness…She would think he was too clever and calculating for entertaining any…such complication! Pity, then, that what she wants from him will be the least pure of the three! Still, Ĉasista's purpose will be served…"_

Now curious, she examined his weaknesses more closely…" _Ahh, this creature's core is focused on two particular beings…Most odd. Just as the other two powerful ghosts, the Plasmius has weak feelings for a ghost-to-be! But, oh-ho, unlike the other ghosts, the Plasmius is most obsessed with allying with another human…but a small one at that! Why would such a powerful and clever half-ghost as this one bother with any ghost-to-be, much less two?"_

Ĉasista, of course, had discovered that Maddie was one of those 'ghosts-to-be'. But what she didn't know was that the _other_ human was in her power right now: Danny!

Nevertheless, now that the Guardian found out that the Plasmius was just as imperfect as the others, she suddenly lost interest in examining his core any further. She roughly pulled out, once again ignoring Vlad's muffled, though audible, scream.

She scrunched up her insectoid face in dissatisfaction as she looked over the three most powerful ghosts. At least all of them were quiet right now. She didn't care to know that the future ghost was still dazed and smarting and Danny was drained from her examination. The Plasmius, however, was still panting from his ordeal…Still, Ĉasista _w_ as not satisfied. Truly, these three were the most stubborn creatures she had ever met, especially the youngest one! Still, she had been able to stamp out their resistance and was now in control. And she just as sudden felt as if she should rid herself of all of these creatures and be done with it!

Still…there was that complication…

The spirit quieted herself. It did not matter when she would rid herself of these creatures…it was the _how_ that really mattered.

And at least she had part of the puzzle she needed to get what she wanted from them: using their weaknesses against them. And in the end, ultimately balance the cosmos…

The spider suddenly released the minds of the three most powerful ghosts. But as soon as she did, she sensed _another_ power close by! She wickedly smiled…

Though left dizzy by their 'examination', Danny, Dark Dan and Plasmius were aware that the mental ropes had been loosened before they completely disappeared.

Finally, they opened their eyes and scanned about them.

Dark Dan then frowned in anger and tried to loosen his bonds yet again.

Vlad merely blinked his eyes and fell into thought. There had to be _some_ way to get out of this mess!

Amid the dusk-like darkness, Danny turned to his right and frowned when he saw Vlad once more. He was secretly glad that the older hybrid was currently looking away from him; but it did not stop the horrible memories that suddenly flooded his mind. The boy winced as terrible-flashback-after-terrible-flashback whipped his still dizzy mind and he suddenly felt as if he might fall back into that pit of near-despair and turmoil he had been in for a few weeks after being rescued from Vlad's clutches.

Ironically, then, that he was practically yanked right out of that pit when he unconsciously turned to his left and spied Skulker for the first time and the robot ghost was looking right at him!

Suddenly, a mixture of irritation, anger, and indignation swelled in the boy's bosom.

" _Just great!"_ Danny privately groaned. _"As if being dangled like a hooked fish isn't bad enough! Now, looks like I'm also a sardine that's in the same can with the two biggest hams on the planet!"_

Still, he forced himself to scan everywhere else but at those two ghosts. He could, of course, see part of Ĉasista moving to his right before she was out of eye-shot.

The teen couldn't help but think, _"She never did tell me why I was here—though if what she did to me a few minutes ago was a hint of it, I definitely pass on knowing or asking again!"_

He then frowned with some disappointment in himself, _"But what you should be focusing on right now, Fenton, is how are you going to get out of here?"_

Almost reflexively, the young hybrid's thoughts drifted toward his friends and he felt his heart constrict yet again even as he anxiously thought, " _Oh, man, I sure hope that Sam and Tucker were able to get away before that spider-thing caught my putrid evil-self!"_

Now more worried about his friends than his current predicament, Danny immediately concentrated in an attempt to contact them telepathically.

But suddenly, the boy startled when he heard a _real_ scream that was to his right—in the same direction that Ĉasista had moved to moments ago!

He instantly knew who that was!

 _"Sam!"_ Danny desperately yelled against his gag and mentally to his girl at the same time.

He reflexively struggled against his bonds but didn't lose his concentration.

And when the young half-ghost he sensed that he had connected with Sam, he concentrated even harder….

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Meanwhile, shortly after the Guardian had started to examine Danny more thoroughly…

Sam gently groaned back into consciousness. The first thing she was aware of was a headache!

But then, when she tried to move and focused on where she was, she grunted in annoyance. She was still prisoner to that grotesque spider creature! She glanced around and saw only Danny's evil-future self to her left. She didn't care why he wasn't moving and couldn't know it was because he had just had his core dissected and was recovering, and that his mind was within Ĉasista's control.

But seeing him again did snap her to full alertness and she gagged her gasp at her next thought:

 _"Danny! Tucker!"_

 _T_ hough she was annoyed, she knew she wouldn't be able to reach both of her friends at the same time telepathically with this still-pounding headache. She knew that there was a greater chance that Tucker was in the same fix she was in and she hoped that Danny had been able to escape whatever had been attacking him when she had last 'heard' him telepathically. And so, she concentrated on trying to open a telepathic channel to her friend and not her boyfriend at this point.

But she soon realized that she couldn't get through to Tucker, which worried her even more. After all, the last time she had connected with Tucker, he was scared and had just yelled out in fear—and pain!

 _"Ohmigosh, he_ _mus_ _t be in trouble!"_ she fretted as she tried even harder to reach him mentally.

But the pain shooting through her brain was impeding her efforts.

Little did the girl know that the last bout of her unconsciousness and Tucker's as well was actually from their telepathic connection with Danny. Sam, of course, was very sensitive to their bond. And when her boyfriend's telepathic link was opened by Ĉasista and the spider had attacked him mentally, that same strong blow had been delivered to both of his friends!

After several more minute of trying to rid herself of her headache and connect with Tucker, Sam's shoulders slumped in defeat.

 _"Maybe you're just trying too hard and this darn headache isn't helping. Just try to relax and maybe this headache will go away,"_ she convinced herself.

A few minutes later, the Goth had been able to relax but the headache was still pounding within her skull. Through it all, she still tried to connect to Tucker again…This time, however, she got the unsettling feeling that he couldn't connect with her! Now more fretful from that hunch, her sharp mind tried to think of what to do.

 _"Okay. Get a hold of yourself. Just try to see if you can reach Danny this round and somehow help him to find us,"_ she finally decided.

Suddenly, Sam got the strange feeling that her boyfriend wouldn't be able to help them…But she attributed that crazy thought to this blasted headache! She concentrated on connecting with her beau and was slightly encouraged when she could feel the familiar pressure behind the skull of her forehead strengthen.

But then when the familiar pressure evolved into the equally familiar 'open door' feeling she got when she connected to either of her friends, she mentally gasped with what she actually felt next…

A sharp pain suddenly gripped her chest and her breathing increased in instant panic when she sensed even more.

Danny! Danny was not far away as she had hoped…She was certain that he was here somewhere nearby because she was absolutely certain that the awful spider creature was doing something awful to him!

Suddenly fearing that the wicked creature would sense her telepathic powers as she did before, and maybe her empathic ones as well, Sam immediately cut off her connection.

The girl fought the tears that began to pool at the bottom of both of her eyes. Both of her friends, not to mention herself, were in serious trouble, and right now, she couldn't do anything about it! If she tried to use her telepathic powers or even send her telekinetic powers to her friends with her telepathic powers, that evil she-spider might be able to dissect her mind! And what good would she be for either of her friends if she had scrambled brains?

No, much as every fiber of her being resented it, Sam could do nothing right now. Still, her more resilient side rebutted her decision. Maybe she was wrong! She had to be sure…

Against all logic, the girl struggled against her bonds, when she stopped. Why didn't she notice it before?

 _"Because your brain was practically pickled in pain, that's why,"_ she chided herself, even as she focused back on her original thought:

 _"Okay, so why can't I phase through these bonds when I'm in the Ghost Zone?"_

She struggled again in vain and then glancing briefly at Evil Dan, thought, _"Maybe these things also work against humans?"_

Somehow, she doubted even that when they were glowing exactly like the webbing around the future evil ghost.

 _"There's no time to worry about that when there are bigger worries right now,"_ she chided herself once again.

 _T_ his time, she tried to look around the ĉerko to her left, the one that still contained Evil Dan. But the size of that cocoon and the thick shadow it cast on her completely blocked her sight. However, she could also see a dull luminescence just beyond Evil Dan's ĉerko. Maybe that was where the spider was…but then she gulped—and where Danny might also be!

But then, she hesitated. Danny had been nowhere near Tucker and her when they got captured. She turned back in the direction of that grayish light and frowned when its intensity brightened a little.

Now she was certain that the spider was somewhere to her left…She stifled another gasp. Maybe it was Tucker who was somewhere on the other side of Evil Dan's cocoon! That would make sense since he, she and…She winced as she had to count the future ghost among their company when they got caught. Maybe Danny was okay and looking for them…She paused again…but she was certain that for some strange reason she had felt the spider's evil power clutching at Danny's core. She swallowed hard. Maybe this headache was confusing her. She reflexively concentrated on remembering the vibes she had sensed and shook her head. No, she wasn't confused. That feeling she had been very strong, not weak like they could be whenever the actually distance between the two who were using telepathy to communicate was significant.

That meant only one thing: the spider must have her boyfriend as her prisoner! Still, that nagging reason popped up, even though she was now doubting it. Danny was nowhere near them when she and Tucker got caught, wasn't he? …Then again, she herself wasn't exactly conscious for everything that had happened and was happening here—all of it up to no good.

Now, she wasn't certain on what she was feeling or not feeling, nor what to do!

But then, she heard another cry of pain and she knew it was Tucker's cry this time—and it had been done telepathically. Whatever had kept her from connecting to him earlier was now cleared.

Little did she know that Tucker had just come to after being attacked by Angelus-alvus at first and then knocked unconscious shortly thereafter when his mind had been indirectly attacked by Ĉasista when she had attacked Danny.

Not sensing the spider's probing mind and yet taking a chance of being detected, Sam immediately yelled to only his mind, _"Tucker?!"_

But the girl then startled when she heard another male voice telepathically answer in surprise, _"_ _Ad Femina?!"_

Before Sam could respond, however, she felt as if something was suddenly squeezing her brain! The girl couldn't know that the she-spider hadn't detected her using her powers earlier because Ĉasista had been focusing on examining the cores of the future ghost and two hybrids until just a few moments ago.

But now that Ĉasista had sensed her, that 'other power', Sam felt that her brain would explode any minute with all of the force that Ĉasista was exerting upon it to try to invade it! But the girl was determined never to let another creature take over her mind like Undergrowth and Jiva once did. She would rather die than be a mindless slave doing the evil bidding of another!

No matter her determination, however, she cried out under the intense pain of resisting the spirit!

But then, even in the midst of her panting, Sam felt the pressure ease up a little in the next moment, as if there was a reinforcing barrier that had been thrown up between her mind and Ĉasista's. And, indeed, she was right; and she sensed that her boyfriend had come to her rescue, if it was only a mental one right now! The girl immediately let her mind be bolstered just as if she were leaning against her beau to help her stand up.

All of the sudden, however, Sam felt as if that wall had just been blasted away, and she immediately knew that the Guardian must have attacked not _her_ but…

" _Danny!"_ she mentally cried in anguish when she felt _his_ pain, only to startle and brace herself when she felt a crack in her mental resolve—and knew that Ĉasista was once again taking advantage of her emotions and trying to invade her mind!

" _Oh-ho! So, you are not invincible as you think, pet! It is—"_ she mentally heard Ĉasista say before the teen grunted loudly and mentally in concentration to push the evil spirit's thoughts from completely entering that crack.

Sam hissed in pain from the mental effort, but she could tell that she had repaired that breach since she had cut off whatever else the wicked creature wanted to say in order to poison her mind.

Yet, Ĉasista tried yet again and Sam couldn't help but scream in pain this time!

Little did Sam know that if the spider spirit hadn't turned her attention away from her to attack Danny, the spirit would have been successful in taking over her mind!

Still, the strain was too much for the girl and she could feel her head pounding and spinning. Before she knew it, she was falling into unconsciousness, only this time, real blood was leaking out of her nose and ears…

In the meantime, Ĉasista had indeed sensed that the youngest ghost had somehow been helping the human girl. At first, she was surprised on how he was able to do that. But then, she grew angry and had steered her assault from the girl to him shortly thereafter.

Danny's painful yell was muffed by his gag and his body twisted violently with pain after he had been suddenly electrocuted by his _ĉerko_! He was concentrating so much on helping his girl that he hadn't noticed that Ĉasista had lassoed electricity from the wall of her lair and focused a large beam onto his cocoon.

Danny's head was spinning so wildly at the moment that he couldn't comprehend what Ĉasista was saying as his head dropped to his chest.

"You will not interfere with my plans, worm! and you are fortunate that Ĉasista's smite did not damage you…this time!" the Guardian shrieked as she threw even more electricity into the boy's webbed sack.

As if he were some kind of lightning rod, the boy and his ĉerko lit up in electricity to the point that even the boy's eyes were as light bulbs.

But then, the spider stopped when she refocused on her plans.

" _Enough of this! Ĉasista will take her revenge out in another way."_

She frowned when she glanced at the youngest ghost. Smoke was rising off of him and his ĉerko. She did not know why she had lost control; but now that she had, she would have to wait for the young creature to recover….

She also failed to notice that Vlad, and even Skulker, had tensed with the boy's suffering…

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 **[1] Esperanto for 'cosmos'.**

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 **A/N: Well, gang, that's the end round of all of those 'examinations'. Though I enjoyed all the mind games, I'm up for more action and getting to what Ĉasista is REALLY up to, what the Observants will do—if anything, what's happening with Tucker, what Skulker is thinking, and…well, you get the drift! Hope you help my creative juices flow by throwing some of your thoughts at me! And, look, you can do that right below! Thanks for all of your support!**


	24. Chapter 24 Tricks of the Trade

**A/N: Hiya, everybodee! I'm sorry for the late update, but my wonderful beta has been dealing with a lot of stuff and couldn't get this back to me until this week. And since I think her betaing is priceless, especially when she makes sure I don't sound too crazy in plot, grammar, etc., I will wait for her to be ready. You know that I don't own the Danny Phantom franchise, though I wish I did! But I do own this story and the OCs...But enough of the drama! It's time for the show! Enjoy!**

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Entanglement—Chapter 24—Tricks of the Trade

Konsilisto nervously and anxiously floated back-and-forth in his brother Justeco's private room. Every once in a while, he looked to see what his brother was doing. He frowned again in dissatisfaction when his brother was still at his desk, seeming to be lost in his thoughts while grasping two objects—just the same as he had been shortly after he mentioned 'planning a risk'—which seemed too long ago now.

After pacing some more and not seeing any change in Justeco's behavior, Konsilisto could take it no more.

"It is worse than we thought, brother!" the Head Counselor worriedly whined. "The Youngling's friend is in serious danger within the Angeli's realm and there seems to be more terrible activity within the spirit's abode! And I have such a strong feeling that Ĉasista's activity has hint that all of Existence is being threatened as in the past!"

Justeco didn't even look at, much less answer him, even if he was very aware of what his brother had been referring to. After all, they had just viewed more of the travesty unfolding before them only moments before. Still, the High Tribune had grown more troubled than Konsilisto on what all that was happening might mean; so much so, that he was having second-thoughts about planning anything.

Konsilisto, however, immediately pressed, sounding more distressed, "Under these new dreadful happenings, when will we start our plan, brother?"

Still grasping the two objects, Justeco floated off his chair and drifted over to a small table. He placed what turned out to be his red Orb of Power and Konsilisto's purple Orb of Time upon two velvet, plushy receptacles made especially for them. They were right next to a final receptacle there, which cradled the blue Orb of Healing. Justeco slowly floated back away from them, all the while remaining silent and keeping his eyes locked onto the two glowing spheres he first had.

Konsilisto was about to object yet again when Justeco finally sighed, looked at his brother, and spoke with disappointment in his voice, "The more I have contemplated about this risky plan we discussed, the more I am convinced that I am a very poor one when it comes to conniving, brother. I fear that this plan may very well fail after all. Do you really think it wise that we should endanger compromising our roles as guardians of all of Existence if we test Fate and, uhm, meddle in this affair? Since we are not, well, skilled in this sort of thing, it is very possible that our interference may prove catastrophic…." He paused briefly before he admitted, "And do we even dare to challenge Ĉasista when her great power and current role were all because of our poor insight and rash actions in the past?"

The Head Counselor's lone eye widened when he knew what his brother was referring to. Though he understood his brother's hesitation, for once in his existence, he would not be swayed. He firmly yet kindly replied, "Brother, we should be fair to ourselves. We did not think our insight was poor at the time. We were more focused. No. We were more _obsessed_ with our misguided crusade to protect Existence even at the expense of everything else. We acted as we were driven to do until we gained a wiser insight because of the Youngling."

Justeco's pupil dilated wider in agreement before he said, "You are quite right on all accounts, brother."

But then, his large eye wrinkled into a frown. He was still torn; and he preceded to wring his hands in angst before he suddenly added, " But…I am suddenly uncertain. Can we justify interfering at all when Existence might not be in peril even under these…dire events? We have allowed the destruction of a few ghosts and even humans before and…"

"I cannot believe you are saying that, Justeco!" Konsilisto gasped in fear. "Even though it is true we have allowed many ghosts and even humans to meet their demise and done nothing because Existence was not in peril, we both have already agreed that this is different and we will try to somehow help. But what is it that made you change your mind, because what you are now talking about—"

"Yes, I know what I am talking about!" Justeco then firmly broke in. "We must never forget that our foremost duty is to guard all of Existence! What if we miss something that may indeed threaten Existence while preoccupied with this matter? This, then, might only be the same as those other times when we allowed Fate to destroy ghosts…even when one of them…"

But the High Tribune couldn't make himself say it.

An unusually long and uncomfortable silence seemed to wrap around and constrict the brothers' cores. They both still struggled against their passivity especially when this whole affair had rattled them both.

Finally, Konsilisto floated over to their clandestine viewing orb, deactivated it, turned around and with a sigh, sadly said, "You are right, brother. Guarding all of Existence is our foremost duty and the destruction of a few ghosts does not threaten it…But, does that mean that we ignore any other duty that calls upon us simply because it does not threaten Existence—even when in Ĉasista's case it may very well be threatened? Does that mean that Existence will always overshadow any ghost's existence in importance? If this is so, then I will no longer observe any other event, for I will not be able to bear the burden of knowing that we ignored what was right but for one enslaving duty."

The High Counselor closed his eye and lowered it in a mixture of grief and shame.

Once again, silence fell upon the two.

Justeco then floated over to his brother. He gently placed his hand upon Konsilisto's shoulder and when his brother looked up at him, he quietly said, "I am sorry, brother. I-I was wrong to use our duty toward guarding Existence as an excuse to abandon any plans to try to help the Youngling. I-It is just that in spite of everything that we have experienced, I still struggle against our strong nature to be passive and to be obsessed with our prime duty. We both know that we do not possess enough nerve or even power to interfere directly ourselves. And yet, it is also unfortunate that this plan we came up is very dependent on both our nerve and power. And so, it does not help matters that I-I am now thinking that our plan is too poor and I-I am…so…afraid that we will utterly fail…I-I…"

But once again, words failed the High Tribune.

Konsilisto then sadly said, "I, too, am very afraid that we will fail. But I am more afraid to face myself if we do not try."

Justeco suddenly felt his entire eye laden with moisture before he sincerely replied, "Forgive me, brother. You are far wiser than I ever realized. But do we stand a chance at all, brother?"

Konsilisto replied with slight encouragement, "It is true that we cannot see the future like Clockwork. But we must have hope that we will succeed, for we are doing what is right. And we should not forget that we must have been created as twins for a reason, brother. We have a rare gift that will help us stay strong and focused on the only chance we need to take."

The High Tribune nodded in resignation. Though he was finding his courage again, he was disturbed about another fact. He then said, "I have another confession, Konsilisto, which is another reason why I have been so unsure about our plan."

"Yes, brother?" his Counselor softly asked in encouragement.

"It is about…Clockwork. I have been wondering… Perhaps he is somehow not aware of the changing of events. What if we were wrong in thinking that Ĉasista's doings will be a threat to Existence? Otherwise, would you not think he would have felt the duty to come here by now?"

Konsilisto bit his imaginary lip before he uttered, "Though that is a very good point, Justeco, we cannot be fully sure about that. We cannot not see the future as Clockwork does. And he does have an uncanny ability to sense threats to Time and Existence. But we also know that he often will not act even when there are threats, which is why we had to insist for him to do so in all of those past incidents—and even then, he acted with his own judgement than ours...Ahem…However, we, too, cannot deny our own uncanny sense to threats to Existence and the urgency of it!.. Besides —and even if Clockwork will never admit it— he is not perfect. Perhaps, then, he does not know….Then, should we not at least tell him?"

"No, we cannot be so bold; or else he will think that we are being hasty," Justeco sadly replied, "After all, patience has not been a virtue of ours until just recently."

"But we are _not_ being hasty, Justeco, because the situation has become extremely dire!" Konsilisto insisted. He then frowned in irritation and boldly said, "Enough of this! We can no longer remain passive and just observe the impending disaster!"

Justeco startled slightly with his brother's outburst. And he suddenly admonished himself for not being courageous enough in this matter! Still, he agreed with his brother and firmly steeling himself, he replied with more concern rather than fear, "We cannot be sure that the Time Master will come at our request, since he was never ever thrilled to do that when he was our employee. As you recall, he often accused us of having him do our 'dirty work'. Not that I can blame him now, since the only way we had been able to blindly, mercilessly and indirectly interfere in the past was to use him as our 'attack dog'. But then again, we really had no other choice then, or even more so now, since our laws still strictly forbid us to ever leave our realm. But even if we explain how dire the situation with Ĉasista is, Clockwork still might not interfere. And even if we could somehow convince him to do something, he would need help, and I am certain that the old rascal would staunchly refuse it, even if we offered it willingly!"

"But my core aches so to do something, brother!" Konsilisto wailed. "Why do we not just use the orbs to interfere as we had originally planned? We may not be able to defeat Ĉasista with them, but they are our best chance to thwart her enough for us to somehow release her victims!"

Justeco turned to look at the three Timeless Magic power orbs sitting snugly in their receptacles. His eye sagged in discouragement and defeat. The dire situation in the _Sfero de Ĥaoso_ also begged him to use the orbs directly. And yet, he hated to admit that he was still…afraid. But then, after reflecting on what his brother had said, he felt some of the burden on his brain lessen when another, newer idea suddenly bubbled up from his bubble head…

Was it possible? Though they had never tried it before, maybe it was because they never had the need for it...And could they? Could they pull it off when using force was no longer an option? It _had_ to be possible, otherwise, as Konsilisto pointed out so beautifully, why did fate will the rulers of the Observants to be _twins_?

His eye narrowed in determination as he looked at the three orbs again. Though all three gems were beautiful, they each had different purposes. The purple one that Konsilisto wielded was able to observe Time, but it could only see the present or some parts of the past and nothing about the future. And it could not _manipulate_ time as the one that Clockwork had. The blue one, of course, was the Orb of Healing, the one that Okulo once wielded. Last, but not least was his own red orb—the Orb of Power…Did he even really know its full potential? And if he and his brother worked together and tried to do something they had never done before—to shake things up a bit… He suddenly shuddered at the thought of being so, so impulsive and even chaotic…Still, oddly, the thought was suddenly a bit thrilling, so, then maybe….maybe…

Finally, Justeco blurted out, "It may just work!"

"What may 'just work'?" Konsilisto asked in exasperation.

All Justeco would say was, "Come, brother, the time is desperate, so we must act quickly. And we must not tell Clockwork—"

Konsilisto interrupted him with a gasp, "But how can we avoid…?"

This time, Justeco interrupted him and hurriedly told him his idea. He also emphasized how important it was for them to work together to accomplish it.

Konsilisto listened carefully before he said a bit hesitantly, "Do you think it is possible, brother? After all, it is so very complicated!"

"Only if we use our unique telepathic bond for strength and to bolster our concentration and timing," Justeco seriously replied.

Finally, Konsilisto nodded in approval before he privately bit his imaginary lip in fear…

He startled a bit when Justeco asked with hope lacing his voice, "Are you ready to try, Konsilisto?"

"Yes, brother, I pray this will work."

Justeco's voice cracked a bit in worry as he added, "Me, too, brother, me, too."

And then, they went to work…

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Old Man Clockwork knew it was time for one of his chores. He had to regularly check the accuracy of all of the clocks in his Room of Chronology.

Once the Time Spirit had entered the room, he headed straight to its center. Then, he reached up and slowly began to wind the small clock that was on top of his own Time Staff.

A purple aura immediately surrounded the staff before it hummed and then emitted a purple ghostly wave of energy that quickly expanded until it penetrated all of the clocks in the room. And as if the Time Staff had actually been a bat emitting a sonic burst to find its prey, all of the clocks within the room dutifully reflected the ghostly sonar wave back at him, which the Time Staff quickly absorbed.

Clockwork's smirk was barely detectable as he morphed into his youngest form. He could clearly see that all of the clocks were synchronized perfectly—as they should be.

But suddenly, his staff began to glow, only that its brilliance waned and then strengthened without his willing it!

His adult-self quickly examined his staff and adjusted it. Yet, he could not stop the pulsating glow!

And then just as sudden, he heard static and whirled around toward the sound.

" _What is this?"_ Clockwork immediately thought when he could see that the static was coming from his Time Viewing Orb! _"Did the staff accidentally activate the orb? None of this has happened before whenever I was synchronizing my clocks!"_

As he phased to his adult form, the Time Master frowned and quickly examined his Time Staff again. He immediately rejected the thought that his Time Staff had malfunctioned.

Nevertheless, the spirit could not deny that his Time Viewing Orb had been mysteriously activated. But right now, the screen was scrambled. However, a few moments later, and just when his staff stopped glowing, the Time Viewing Orb's screen finally cleared.

Old Man Clockwork's eyes widened in slight alarm even as he checked the chronometer. And according to it, what he was watching on the Time Viewing Orb was happening _right now_!

His now childish face frowned in disbelief. After all, he never recalled seeing a scene like this before! Especially when there were only bits and pieces of distorted and disjointed scenes that had something to do with the Observants!

" _Why does this have to do with the Observants of all creatures?"_ He first thought with some irritation. But then, as he tried to makes sense of the 'show'—and couldn't— he pondered, " _Does this have something to do with me as well as the Observants?"_

After all, he already knew that his Time Staff would not always reveal events having to do with his own fate and destiny.

As he phased into his adult-form, Clockwork looked at the viewing orb again—only for his eyes to widen when he was 'watching' himself! But just as the scenes that had to do with the Observants, these, too, were disjointed and illogical. In fact, none of the scenes with 'him' or the Observants in it seemed to be connected! Yet, when he glanced at the chronometer again, it was still supposed to be happening right now!

The oldest form of Clockwork had to admit that he was concerned about what he was seeing…but then, suddenly, the screen on the Time Viewing Orb went blank!

The Time Master blinked in disbelief and rechecked his staff, the Time Viewing Orb and the chronometer again…He frowned. Nothing seemed awry.

But that didn't satisfy the temporary child spirit.

He sighed in slight irritation at his decision, because he knew what that would mean _…"Perhaps I should investigate…if only to make sure that the Time Viewing Orb and my staff are not malfunctioning."_

Once he had changed forms again, his adult face reflected a mixture of irritation and resignation. Even so, he headed out of his castle and toward where he hoped to find some answers.

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Finishing with their task and holding onto the brightly glowing deep purple orb, Justeco glanced anxiously out of the window of his personal chamber that faced west. When he saw a slight distortion in the atmosphere, he yanked slightly on the orb and the aura surrounding it quickly and completely disappeared until the orb was now only crystal clear and void completely of color.

Keeping his eye nervously glued to the outside and then seeing a streak of energy heading this way, Justeco turned slightly to the slight noise he heard just behind him.

Konsilisto came floating to his brother's side after closing the door just as Justeco hurriedly placed the orb down.

No sooner had the two Observants come near enough to speak when there was a knock on Justeco's chamber door.

"Yes?" Justeco asked as casually as he could.

" _High Tribune, sorry to disturb you,"_ the voice began, _"But Master Clockwork is here to see you."_

"Oh, really? Hmmm….It has been a long time. I wonder why could he possibly be here?" Justeco replied, trying very hard to sound nonchalant. "Very well, then. Show him in."

A few moments later, there was another rap on the door.

"Come in, Clockwork," Justeco said with a thread of nervousness in his voice as he nodded to his brother.

Justeco could immediately tell that something was on the Time Master's mind as soon as their eyes met. The High Tribune secretly hoped it was _the_ _specific_ subject that the time spirit wished to discuss.

"It is indeed an honor to see you again, Master Clockwork," Justeco carefully yet calmly said as he floated to the door when it opened. "It has been quite a while has it not?"

At first, old man Clockwork didn't say anything and merely squeezed his staff more firmly as his eyes briefly skirted the area. Nothing seemed to be out of order; and the two Observants didn't look distressed in the least. He grew slightly uneasy because of what he saw on his Time Viewing Orb was supposed to have happened just a few minutes ago before he left in haste to come here.

"And what pleasure do we have for your visiting us, Time Master?" Konsilisto asked in a surprisingly calm voice before he gestured for the time spirit to come further into the room.

The two Observants quickly joined Clockwork just as he phased into his youngest form and stopped near the table where an empty velvet receptacle also was.

Though Clockwork kept a poker-face on, he became suspicious almost immediately. And that was because of Konsilisto's behavior. Usually that Observant was so skittish that it made a startled baby look brave by comparison. He narrowed his eyes slightly. In fact, both Observants looked usually calm…Maybe they were trying to hide what he had seen in his Time View Orb. The time spirit paused. But then again, maybe there was something _wrong_ with his Time Staff and the Time Viewing Orb. He had to get to the bottom of _that_ at least!

Ignoring the sweat forming between his staff and hand, the adult Master of Time said with as much aplomb as he could muster, "Everything seems to be in order."

"Yes, why would it not be?" Justeco replied before his brother added, "You know how particular we are when it comes to order, Clockwork."

"Indeed," the oldest form of the time spirit dryly said.

A brief yet uneasy pause drifted over the threesome.

The High Tribune then cleared his voice and asked, "So, Time Master, is there something we can do for you?"

Clockwork really didn't want to discuss his problems, but he also knew he couldn't just leave without any explanation. All that should be important right now was that nothing was amiss like his Time Viewing Orb had led him to believe.

Suddenly, however, Konsilisto yelped in alarm, "Oh, my goodness! How did that get there?"

Justeco and a young Clockwork looked toward the other Observant.

Konsilisto stooped over and picked up one of the timeless magic orbs from off of the floor!

Justeco's eye widened and he gasped, "How did that get to the floor? I know I put it back on the table after having checked it as is our custom. But then, you came in shortly afterward, Konsilisto, and I must have placed it more clumsily down than I thought after you distracted me."

"I am so sorry to have distracted you from such an important task, brother! I did not see what you were doing when I first came in and merely came to give you the report you asked me to get for you," Konsilisto said, his eye conveying some distress.

Justeco's eye widened and he quickly said with worry, "O-Oh, my goodness! T-That must have been why you came, then, Clockwork!"

No hint of emotion was on the adult Clockwork's face or in his voice when he replied, "Oh. And why is that?"

Justeco continued, "Because if the Orb of Power is jolted by a blow—such as one it had when it fell to the floor like it did—it can send out significant yet undetectable waves of Timeless Magic energy that can disrupt time and space. It is even possible that it can cause anomalies, time rifts, or distortions in reality or time….Fortunately, the blow the orb received wasn't too severe or did not last for very long…Ahem…How embarrassing! So, uh, has there been some kind of anomaly or time distortion of which you need to inform us, Time Master?"

Clockwork's eyes quickly shifted between the two Observants. He was sure that Justeco wouldn't be that sloppy when handling the Orb of Power…Still….there had been those very rare times when he himself had been distracted by one task, only for another event to present itself unexpectedly after he had accidentally brushed his staff against something.

The eldest form of the Time Master then swallowed his pride down a bit and admitted, "Yes, my Time Viewing Orb and Time Staff seemed to detect some unusual and disturbing activity not too long ago. I was concerned about that until you cleared up the matter just now. So, then, I will just be…"

Justeco purposely interrupted him, "What a relief that the unusual activity was brief! But, I apologize that it was disturbing. I should have to be more careful from now on. You know that the Orb of Power is linked to your Time Staff and the Time Viewing Orb; and what we have used to summon you when you were, uh, once our employee. You do not need to go into details on what was disturbing."

There was a brief pause among the threesome when Justeco added, "But, since you are already here, Clockwork…"

Suddenly suspicious, Clockwork the child's eyes narrowed a bit as he tersely replied, "Yes?"

The High Tribune cleared his voice a bit and continued, "Were you by chance aware of an unusual incident that happened not too long ago not too far from your castle? My orb sensed an archaic energy, and I was unable to check it out until not too long ago. And as you know, the orb is able to capture all kinds of energy that can be analyzed at any time. In fact, I was checking it out just before Konsilisto distracted me."

The Master of Time knew to what the Observant was referring to, but just as he was morphing into an adult, he slyly remarked, "I thought you said you were merely inspecting the orb 'as was your custom'?"

"Ahem, yes, I was, but that was because it was glowing unusually not too long ago," Justeco answered a bit flustered. But then he quickly added in a huff, "Alright, Clockwork. I will admit that I am glad that the orb was accidentally dropped because we wanted to, uh, consult with you about that ancient energy that we detected, ahem, near your castle, in fact."

"What of it?" Old Man Clockwork nonchalantly replied as he begun to wind the top of his Time Staff.

"So, you know of it!" Konsilisto suddenly piped in, a bit indignantly. "And how can you be so calm about it, Time Master?"

The Head Counselor moved nearer to Clockwork and insisted, "An archaic and powerful energy such as that one cannot be ignored. And only you can locate from whence it came and verify the source."

One of the young Clockwork's eyebrows briefly and slightly hitched upward. He had a feeling the moment he came here that these two were up to something. And he knew that they must have suspected, then, that he knew about Ĉasista and her mischief.

Still, the Master of Time dryly said, "You know that I can…And you also know that I will not be doing anything about it."

The two Observants were silent for a moment but were actually privately sharing their thoughts.

" _The Time Master must know, then, that the Youngling is in trouble! And he will do nothing about it?"_ Konsilisto mentally gasped to his brother.

" _You know his decision is a hard, yet not an unusual, one for him, brother,"_ Justeco said in sympathy _. "But I wonder if he also must know that Ĉasista is up to her old tricks because there is an imbalance in the cosmos. But you also know that we can no longer order him to interfere…"_

" _Maybe we can just directly ask for his help since he must know that Existence might indeed be threatened? But then, again, maybe Time might not be in peril—for now... Maybe it has been in vain that we managed to get his…attention,"_ Konsilisto said in near defeat.

" _It is indeed a dilemma, which means we must risk interfering directly as we first planned. And using Timeless Magic to break the law of not leaving our realm. We both know the dire consequences of that."_ The High Tribune said with dread.

" _But we once did break that law,"_ His brother mentally countered. **[1]**

Justeco pointed out, _"Yes, but you know it was not purposefully. But you also know that since our experiencing that, the High Council overrode our plea not to strengthen the law with Timeless Magic so that all would know at once if any Observant was…missing from the realm, which would place Existence in instant peril. Pity that they were too terrorized from our experience to think more rationally on the matter."_

The High Tribune then chuckled sadly _, "Indeed, now I understand. We are just as much prisoners with this new law as what Clockwork must have felt when he was working for us."_

" _What are we then to do, brother?"_ Konsilisto asked, dreading the answer.

Justeco mentally sighed in near resignation, _"I truly do not know. Fate has a cruel way of reminding us of our solemn duties and even our sins. Maybe we are wrong about it all. And perhaps we have been hastier than we thought and our judgment has indeed been tainted by our…interest in the Youngling. And we have known of –and colluded with— Ĉasista's menacing ways ever since that…time…"_

Konsilisto didn't answer at first. He had understood what 'time' his brother had alluding to. He finally said with grief, _"Perhaps my judgment in this matter has also been tainted and I failed as your counselor. As protectors of Existence, we have to act objectively at all times…especially when we could not know if the destruction of the Youngling or the others would threaten Existence in the future…And we also are aware that Clockwork would know that…and that is why he will not interfere. We are powerless to help the young hybrid, even though I want to with my entire central core!"_

Justeco could mentally hear his brother sniffle as he concluded, _But I am deeply saddened at the possibility that Danny Phantom's fate would be as any other creature whose time to cross into the Oblivion has finally come…"_

"Are you two done?" Clockwork suddenly piped in with irritation clearly lacing his very audible voice.

The two Observants refocused on the time spirit when they realized that they had drifted away from the present conversation and into their own telepathic one. But in reality, their thoughts were conveyed in mere milliseconds, so to Clockwork, the pause was only a few seconds.

But before either of them answered their visitor, Justeco glanced at the Time Master's staff and a thought suddenly captured his full attention. He then hurriedly threw his thoughts to Konsilisto, _"Wait, brother! Perhaps, we still have a chance. Be ready on my signal."_

Konsilisto's brain jolted in surprise when his brother hurriedly revealed his plan only to his mind. Perhaps they could _still_ help Danny and those who were in peril without compromising their role or challenging Fate.…

"Ahem, s-so sorry, Time Master," Justeco stammered in embarrassment. "We did not intend to be rude. But you know us well enough that we would have difficulty with your…hesitation not to address our concerns. Of course, you are no longer obligated to do our bidding, but we just thought that you, too, would be concerned about that event, especially when it occurred so close to your lair and…involves your protégé."

The Head Observant was encouraged by what he suddenly saw and he threw a quick thought out to his brother, " _Be ready! I think we have hope and that chance now!_ "

But outwardly, Justeco kept what he would call his face sober and continued, "We wanted to be sure of our suspicions before we discussed the anomaly further, since you were so, uh, serendipitously here anyways. But we will be direct. We fear that _Ĉasista_ may be up to some of her old tricks…"

Old Man Clockwork was about to open his mouth to respond, when the High Tribune raised his hand signaling the time spirit to wait a moment.

Justeco then said with some sadness tinging his voice, "But of course, we truly respect your decision not to interfere. After all, even if we are correct in suspecting and even agree that Ĉasista is in the process of creating mischief—which might have included a threat to Existence and even Time—there is nothing much we could do about it…" He sighed a bit and just when Konsilisto moved closer to the young Clockwork, Justeco continued, "After all, we all know that she is too powerful for any one of us to stop her on our own. Not to mention that all of our powers would be compromised in her realm."

Clockwork had just morphed to his adult-form when he actually frowned and tersely replied, "It will not work, Justeco."

"I beg your pardon?" The High Tribune innocently asked.

"You are being too obvious in trying to involve me in this matter!" Clockwork dryly replied. Secretly, however, the time spirit was a bit insulted that they thought that alone, not even _he_ could defeat Ĉasista—even if he _had_ to admit that they were right!

Justeco's lone eye blinked in confusion and he said, "I do not know what you mean, Time Master. In fact, we know how very busy you are and that our accident here has kept you away from your duties for far too long. So, we shall not waste any more of your precious time."

All three spirits looked at each other in silence before the oldest form of the Time Master floated back in anticipation of leaving. But Clockwork hadn't noticed that Konsilisto was closer to him than he thought, and so he accidentally bumped into the Counselor.

"I am sorry," Konsilisto immediately erupted in apology, only to stumble a bit and bump into Clockwork again. "Oh, my! Forgive my clumsiness!"

"Quite all right," young Clockwork politely replied before he helped right the Observant and then turned to go.

Once the spirit had left for his lair, Justeco sighed with some trepidation. One day, he hoped he would be able to be more forthright with Clockwork and cease with these word games.

Nevertheless, he turned when he felt the weight of his brother's bony hand on his shoulder. When each of the twin's eyes met, they understood the emotion of this encounter. After all, they were indeed not use to this sort of thing.

Konsilisto finally said in a mixture of discouragement and hope, "At least your plan of getting him here worked, brother, because he does not know of the weaker, yet effective, time orb we have; and he did not suspect that we used it and your Orb of Power to orchestrate the 'malfunctioning' of his Time Staff and Time Viewing Orb…Nor, most importantly, did he suspect our true intentions.."

Justeco nodded but sadly replied, "We can only pray that our decision in this matter has been wise."

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 **[1] If you want to know when and how that happened, you'll just have to read pearl84's and my story, 'Seeing is disBelieving'. Look it up under pearl84's profile as Fanfiction won't allow co-authors to post the same story twice. *winks***

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 **A/N: Well, I'm glad you got down here. I certainly hope you enjoyed this 'breather' from all the previous chapters' intensity, but this is still an important part of the story. Now, let me use a little Timeless Magic that Justeco let me borrow to get you to take your thoughts out of your head and deposit them into that 'review' box below! You'll be glad you did! Until next time, readers, thank you for your support!**


	25. Chapter 25 At the Edge

**A/N: Hello, everybodee! I hope you're ready for the next chapter? This chapter is more of a transitional one than anything else. In any case, you know that I don't own any DP characters and I hope you enjoy the show!**

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Entanglement—Chapter 25—At the Edge

Old Man Clockwork entered his fortress and sighed in resignation just as the large front door closed behind him. He knew all along that the Observants couldn't help themselves in trying to get him involved with doing something about Ĉasista. After all, it had become their habit—and really, his—for so many centuries to sic him on any creature that they had felt was a threat to their precious Existence. Or manipulate Time…Of course, there were reasons for that, one being that the Observants couldn't leave their realm.

And the other?

He didn't notice his childish soft chuckle as he changed to his youngest form when he thought about that second reason…

But as if his child persona was throwing a slight tantrum, he quickly shoved those thoughts away and focused on the present. As he floated toward his Room of Chronology, he had to admit that Ĉasista _was_ a threat to Existence; and so, naturally the Observants would have tried to get him to interfere since they always put guarding Existence above everything else…

Little did he know how wrong he was about that this time.

He also knew very well that Ĉasista was indeed 'creating mischief' as the Observants had said.

"Yes, she would only be so brazen because she sensed that imbalance in the cosmos," Clockwork as an adult began to muse, only to frown and add, "which also would mean that something more calamitous must have happened…"

He pondered that a moment before his thoughts refocused on his latest encounter with the Observants.

As he changed yet again, Clockwork's frown deepened and sagged as much as his ghostly flesh did; and he tightened his grip around his Time Staff not only from the thought, but also for more support in his oldest state. He hated to admit that the twin Observants were correct in that remark that had made him bristle:

" _After all, we all know that she is too powerful for_ _ **any one of us**_ _to stop her on our own. Not to mention that_ _ **all of our powers**_ _would be compromised in her realm."_

He knew that the Observants were indirectly including _him_ when it came to challenging Ĉasista. Even if he wished to stop the spider-spirit, he could _not_ do it on his…own. True, he was one of the most powerful spirits in existence…but even _he_ had limits. Unless he had more power at his disposal, then she could easily destroy him…

Clockwork the child chuckled at that last thought, but it was a sad one. Many ghosts—and even spirits—would be shocked at the news: the mighty Master of Time wasn't all-powerful or even all-knowing! True, he had handled all of the situations he had interfered with in the past, but that was because he used not only his great power, but his wits!

In some ways, that just perpetuated the myth that he was the master of both time, power and knowledge. He sighed. He knew very well that there was only one Master of time, knowledge and power, and it certainly wasn't him!

Yet, in a way, there was some truth to the perception that others had of him, for if he was a master of anything, it was the master of trickery and deception!

But when it came to Ĉasista…he might as well be totally helpless, for any deceptive ploy he could use on her wouldn't protect him... Even so, he also knew most poignantly that he wanted to help his young protégé, his human friends and even the others from a terrible fate…

As Clockwork changed to his adult state, he sighed yet again. His core was now heavy with the conflict. This was one of the times when the burden of being the Guardian of Time and Defender of Existence was the most unbearable.

If he interfered like his core longed for him to do, he would be destroyed. Worse of all, then the destruction of Time would soon follow, and then, all of Existence. But if he did nothing…then…how could he face himself after letting that vile creature destroy his young protégé?

For the first time in his after-life, the oldest Time Master was troubled. He had enough self-discipline to literally turn off his emotions. Being cold, unfeeling, meticulous and thorough had become second-nature to him. He had to be, or else he would have already gone insane with carrying out his duties to Time. But sometimes, his emotions still managed to assert themselves…

He actually reproached himself with his next thought, "Yes, indeed, even though you are very clever at giving others the impression that you know and see everything…you really are a fool!"

But then, as if he were switching to another personality as he switched his form, he stifled himself at his next thought. As he had done many times before, the Time Master once again pondered why he was chosen to be the Time Master, especially when the circumstances how he was chosen were the most unlikely ones to an outsider. In fact, it was because of those same circumstances that he became subjugated to the Observants…and became their employee, for lack of a better term.

But then again, that was a long story in and of itself, a story which he didn't want to take the time for to remember at the moment, for the current moment was most dire…

Most dire.

Clockwork didn't think he would ever have understood even that concept if not for the one creature who would change his perception of everything…

As he changed to his youngest form and moved to one of the windows in his castle, the Time Master smirked. Ironical that he would change into his youngest form just as he thought about that young ghost who could somehow awaken what he thought he was never capable of doing ever again: having concern for others, generating a fatherly thought, and even recognizing and even embellishing…

He shook his head, and rid himself of that last thought as easily as he usually could. And those…uplifting human emotions were also quickly snuffed out. After all, he was too practiced… Still, he found himself sighing in defeat at his next thought. He never felt so…powerless than he did right now. He would have to stand by—and at the same time loathe to watch—while that young creature and his companions would be destroyed!

And it would be his fault that Danny Phantom and the others with him would be annihilated….but not _just_ his fault…There would be _others_ responsible for the boy's death and those of his companions!

Adult Clockwork frowned as he stared out of the window and into the atmosphere of the Realm Beyond Time. This time, he could find nothing ironical or amusing at his next thought. Had he been as 'all-powerful' and 'all-knowing' as he made other ghosts to believe, then he would have stopped any of his fear at having to face that impending disaster at its start…

But as it was, any desire of his to try to interfere at this point would only lead to more catastrophe for he would surely be destroyed if he faced Ĉasista alone…True, maybe the other…realms could have helped, but it was too late for that…In fact, he was certain that the one particular realm which could make a difference in this matter was hopelessly helpless, which, ironically, was indirectly the cause of this entire tragedy!

The elder Master of Time shook his head again, as if that could clear his morose this time. He just had to rid himself of these…emotions…or else he could miss other…problems that his duty called for him to attend to.

He floated more slowly over to his Time Viewing Orb. After all, it was time for him to scan the dimensions and timelines for any anomalies…

Young Clockwork twisted the turnkey at the top of his Time Staff and a purple beam shout out and struck the Time Viewing Orb. But the beam didn't so much as shake the orb, as he had selected a non-destructive beam. It was actually a time spell; and like a sieve that sifted through sand in order to find any gold nuggets, this spell was capable of finding major flaws, aberrations or threats to the timestream so that he would not miss any holes…

The spirit, however, didn't know that he was still so upset that he didn't even care to actually pay attention to the results on the lit-up screen in front of him. Instead, his thoughts inadvertently drifted back to his encounter with the Observants. He slightly bit his lower lip and narrowed his red eyes. Did they summon him accidentally as they claimed? True, they admitted in the end that they wanted to discuss with him about what turned out to be a manifestation of Ĉasista's powers near his castle. So, did they summon him on purpose if they suspected Ĉasista was up to mischief again? No, because they also knew he couldn't do anything about it even if he wanted to, because he would be destroyed if he confronted her alone.

Once more, he felt the weight of his predicament and leaned against his staff, only to immediately feel something press against his leg—and it didn't feel like the staff at all.

" _What is this?"_ he asked himself as he patted the area before he reached into one of his hidden pockets of his floor-length cape.

When he pulled the object out, his eyes narrowed in displeasure, all the while ignoring the ghost of a smirk at one of the corners of his mouth…

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Danny was still smarting so badly from Ĉasista's latest attack —the one that had immediately followed his attempt to help Sam through their telepathic power when the she-spider was torturing _her_ —that he didn't really care what the spider had said to him right afterward—not that he could really comprehend her anyways at that point since his head had been-and still was-spinning. He did, however, briefly wonder why that huge jolt hadn't wasted him. Nor, obviously, had it knocked him out, though in some ways he secretly wished it had since he was still busy trying to control his pants from all the pain, and clear his head. But most of all, he was more worried that the blow did its job in severing his telepathic ties with Sam. And he couldn't re-establish their bond because his head was pounding too badly. But then, he frowned…he had an awful feeling, a feeling that chilled his core with dread, that Sam was _very_ hurt…

In the meantime, Ĉasista was still livid at what happened a few moments ago. True, she was still angry at the young half-ghost for somehow being able to interfere with her latest mental encounter with the female ghost-to-be.

All eight of her eyes suddenly narrowed in a mixture of intrigue and irritation, as she thought, "Just how could such an inferior ghost as he interfere _at all_? She, of course, cannot find out right now since she let impulse rule yet again and punished the worm so brashly that she had knocked him out! She will have to wait to delve further into the matter once he is conscious!"

Little did she know that she _hadn't_ knocked Danny out. And, more importantly, she had no idea that the point on the webbing of his _ĉerko_ where her powerful electrical beam had made contact when she had attacked him had been _weakened_ …

Ĉasista began to pace in agitation as more thoughts distracted her. So far, though she had thought otherwise, she really was not in complete control of any of her victims! She hadn't been able to pry any more information out of them, especially those three most powerful ghosts! She ground her insectoid teeth in disgust at her next thought: even the Skulker had somehow been able to resist her! This group was by far the most stubborn one she had ever encountered! They were _too_ strong…

Suddenly, she jolted at a sudden revelation…and calmed down.

"Oh, yes, Ĉasista dearest, they certainly are ' _ **too**_ strong'! So, then, no more need to waste time with idle thoughts," she said soothingly, as she refocused on her plans.

A hideous smirked suddenly cracked her insectoid face open as she further thought, " _The_ Kosmos _ **[1]**_ _may only demand a little, but Ĉasista will require_ _ **more**_ _guarantee of the balance! She will not stop until she has what she desires! And they will deserve what Ĉasista has planned for them for having the audacity to resist her will! But first-most…"_

The she-spider hurried over to the pile of orbs still cradled in the webbing she had made for them.

As she gently inspected them, she frowned yet again _. "Hmmm….those these are ready, there may not be enough of them; but, patience, dearest Ĉasista. Until she sees what she reaps, they will do for now…"_

The Guardian then twisted her head completely around, and the rest of her huge body quickly followed as she narrowed all of her eyes briefly on only the three most powerful ghost captives. Though they weren't moving, she had to make sure that they were at least conscious.

But then, her eyes and thoughts drifted over to the human girl. She frowned when she saw that the female ghost-to-be's head was still down.

" _Ĉasista would have thought that a creature that somehow possesses spirit energy would have recovered. Is that creature not as powerful as she sensed, then?"_ The spirit mused as she unconsciously glided over to the still girl.

One of the creepy crawler's forelegs grabbed the listless girl's chin and turned her head this way and that as she narrowed her eyes in concentration. She huffed when her telepathic powers verified that the girl was unresponsive. Though Ĉasista was just as hungry for the girl's power as she had when she first detected it, she knew she would have to try after she was through with the ghosts.

Then the spider frowned slightly when she noticed some red fluid leaking out from the ghost-to-be's nose and one of her ears. She had no idea that she had seriously hurt Sam _physically_ when she had last attempted to open the girl's mind…nor did the spider know that she would **never** be able to try that _again_...

Dropping the girl's head rather roughly, the Guardian quickly headed to the three powerful ghosts to make sure they all had recovered. She quickly shifted side-to-side all the while poking or prodding each of the ghosts to stir them up. She was especially pleased when her pawing startled the youngest ghost.

She glanced briefly at Skulker and narrowed one of her eyes as she privately mused, " _Aww,_ _ **that**_ _one._ _His time will come soon enough. But she does not need him at the moment…"_

She skirted back to the webbing cradling her jewels before she turned to face her victims yet again.

" _Now, all is ready,"_ she purred only to herself when she was satisfied that all her victims were fully alert.

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In all this while, Skulker had been aware of—well, as aware as his senses could gather under the circumstances—all of the mischief that the Guardian had been creating. In fact, being the great hunter that he was, he carefully studied the Guardian at any chance he could get. It didn't please him, of course, that most of the time he couldn't see the evil spirit from his vantage point since he could only see just barely a few inches around the Ghost Boy's _ĉerko._ Besides, his robotic eye and head weren't functioning correctly. But he could still hear and _smell_ with no problem. And he had had no difficulty sensing that the she-spirit had definitely been torturing that future ghost, and then, subsequently, the two half-ghosts.

He steeled himself when he recalled just how intense it must have been for them, especially for the Ghost Child, since Ĉasista's 'examination' and torture for the youth had been so close that it had filled all of his senses. It didn't help that some of the telepathic power Ĉasista had used with the ghosts must have accidentally spilled over into his mind since he knew from the odd pressure in his ghostly brain that she was still connected to it. That was the only reason he could think of as to why he had been able to catch snatches of the ghosts' conversations with the she-devil; and, why he had somehow felt their _pain,_ which was very intense at times. Why he hadn't been knocked out by those attacks, especially the big one on the Ghost Boy, was beyond him. Of course, he had had a lasting effect from those assaults: his head pounded then and now.

He frowned when he unexpectedly recalled the two scenes when the Guardian had approached the pup—who was, of course, to his immediate right. In the first instance, she had merely glanced at him since he was so close to the whelp, and had quickly focused all eight of her eyes on the youngest ghost.

One of Skulker's eyebrows arched slightly when he all of the sudden remembered and paid more attention to that first encounter when the whelp's face had become deathly pale and his eyes had been fixed shortly after Ĉasista had been directly in front of him. That must have been the moment she had been 'examining' the pup mentally, and even maybe to his core.

Skulker scowled as he mumbled under his breath, _"'Torture' is the better word for the pain she must have caused during her mental 'exam' of the whelp, especially when I don't know why I had been able to feel some of it!"_

The cyborg ghost's eyes narrowed in thought as his attention drifted to another memory… The spirit must have finished with her scrutiny when the Ghost Child's head had fallen forward and the color had returned a bit in his face before the boy had struggled to right his head again.

In some ways, Skulker had been insulted when the spider retreated and headed away from _him_. But in other ways, Skulker had been was relieved that the spider didn't show interest in 'speaking' to him mentally after she had released the whelp. Otherwise, she would surely have noticed that something was amiss…

And that 'something amiss' was to _his_ left! Skulker unconsciously turned his head to his left and stopped when it began to creak a little! After all, it still wasn't in its proper place ever since the wicked spirit had accosted him. Nevertheless, that head movement along with a shift in his eye gaze—thank goodness he had been able to re-wire the one he had thrown at Vlad where it could still somewhat see! — was enough for him to glance at the _ĉerko_ that used to encapsulate the whelp's helper: Tucker.

Skulker seriously narrowed his eyes in thought. " _Just why did that mere human not phase through his cocoon in the first place? And since he could not, just how did he manage to cut his way out of something made of spirit-energy, when I, the Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter, am still as stuck as some ghostly creature in etherial quicksand?"_

The cyborg immediately threw that sour thought away…But then, he fell into another thought, _"Hmmm…could Tucker possess some unknown power?"_ He paused a bit while trying to recall the teen's scent. He squinted one eye as he mulled over the memory. " _There is something…different about him than I last remembered… I had not noticed it before, because it is very faint…"_ He then frowned as he reflexively rejected his own conclusion. _"It is_ _ **impossible**_ _for humans to possess any kind of power…"_ He cringed at his next thought and corrected himself, _"Well, no_ _ **full**_ _-human! I am just confused by the fact that the whelp's human friend is somewhat inventive, especially in a pinch—no more special than that!"_

Yet again, Skulker immediately dismissed another notion that suddenly leaked out of his brain. There was _no way_ he would actually admit admiring Tucker's ingenuity! It didn't matter that the boy was clever enough to have thought of leaving his red beret propped on top of the _ĉerko_! It didn't matter that at a quick glance, even he, the Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter, would think that the boy was still _in_ that _ĉerko_ and merely had his head down! He would never give credit to that teen, especially when he was still irritated with him!

He scowled. Only one person irritated him more…. And that thought led to another; and an instant later, that other, most recent 'visit' Ĉasista had paid to the whelp focused on his brain. In fact, what had just happened several minutes ago was still fresh on his mind.

The Ghostly Hunter unconsciously shuddered and his ghostly spine bristled again when he recalled that loud scream of pain not too long ago. It had sounded like it had come from a female. And he knew it couldn't have been from Ĉasista, so it must have been produced by the Ghost Boy's little female helper!

At the time, he had, of course, strained to see what was happening to the teen girl even though he knew it was still all in vain.

But then, Skulker paused in thought when he remembered the muffled cry of protest coming from the _whelp_ and saw how intensely the Ghost Boy had struggled with his bonds nearly at the same time.

He frowned in confusion now as he had done then when the boy had actually _stopped_ struggling almost as soon as he had begun and had actually scrunched his eyes closed. At first, Skulker thought the whelp looked as if he had given up. But then, the whelp's entire face had relaxed. In fact, the teen had almost looked as if he had been frozen in place, yet serenely so. Little did the robot ghost know now and then that at that precise moment, Danny had been concentrating on mentally helping his girl.

Then, oddly enough, Skulker had heard yet another loud scream from the girl and then the whelp had jolted within his cocoon, his eyes had flung open, and he had been desperately trying to break free yet again! Skulker couldn't have known, of course, that Danny had reacted that way because Ĉasista had severed his telepathic bonds with Sam.

Not even a core-beat later, however, Ĉasista had been in front of the Ghost Child. Skulker frowned again at his failure to detect her movement beforehand!

But in the very next instant, the Guardian had raised up one of her forelegs, gathered up energy from the walls of her lair, thrust a concentrated beam of it directly at the Ghost Child and then engulfed and electrify his entire ĉerko!

The Hunter unconsciously shook his head, as if that would expunge still hearing the boy's muffled yet painful scream and seeing his convulsing, smoking body before the boy's head fell to his chest. Even now, the hair on the back of the Hunter's head bristled-well, okay, the ends really hadn't settled down from that electrical bolt, which had come so close to hitting his own ĉerko!

His eyes narrowed in anger, and Ĉasista's heated words to the whelp still raked over his ghostly hide:

"You will not interfere with my plans, worm! And you are fortunate that Ĉasista's smite did not damage you…this time!"

Skulker choked down a lump in his throat when he had thought that he would have found the remnants of an obliterated Ghost Child after all the all the smoke had cleared. But his core skipped a beat when he saw that the boy had survived and was just unconscious even among all of the smoke still floating off of his scorched body and ĉerko. But then, the hunter had gagged his own gasp of amazement when he could see that the boy was beginning to move already! It was obvious that he _hadn't_ been knocked out for long! Part of the cyborg could not help but think that the Ghost Boy had a lot of spunk…

Suddenly irritated with himself, Skulker huffed that thought away. Why did the whelp even _try_ to do _anything_ when he couldn't break his bonds? Didn't the silly child realize that he couldn't help his female friend in spite of the fact that the hunter could tell from the whelp's his reactions to what was happening to the girl that he must care for her?

Wait.

One of the robotic ghost's eyebrows arched upward when a spark burst in his brain. He concentrated on that thought.…

" _That is right! The whelp didn't react the_ _ **same way**_ _each time the girl screamed. The first time the human female yelled and before the Ghost Child had been attacked, he gave up on struggling to break free almost immediately. And then in the next instant, he looked as if he was doing nothing at all. In fact, he was very calm, almost in a trance in fact. The teen only intensified in trying to break free from his bonds shortly after the girl screamed a second time!"_

What did that mean?

He slowly drew in air in the direction of the whelp…

Wait.

The pup's scent was different now than it was when he had been calm…That had to be significant.

Yet, the Hunter was momentarily distracted from his thoughts when a few moments later, he sensed that the she-spider had returned and was in front of the Ghost Child once more!

The spirit immediately grabbed hold of the boy's shoulders and shook him.

Skulker and the spider knew that the boy had recovered enough when they saw the teen's eyes flared in anger.

Skulker scowled when he saw the grin crack over the spider's hideous insectoid face. But then, he turned a bit more toward Danny and slightly smirked at what he had suddenly noticed: the scent surrounding the Ghost Child smelled even more different and yet, very familiar…

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 **[1] Esperanto meaning, 'cosmos'.**

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 **A/N: I hope this wasn't too much of a 'meh' chapter. But these ideas just sprung up and insisted that I put them in writing. And speaking of ideas springing up, feel free to let them wonder right into that little box below. I would love to read them! Until next time, dear readers.**


	26. Chapter 26 Executing the Plan

**A/N: Hiya, gang! I really can't believe that I haven't updated what seems like forever! But, I can understand why. Without boring you with the details, I was dealing with a stinker of a cold during the past few weeks. My head was so stuffed with cotton at that time that my brains were pushed out of my skull…and it took this long for me to stuff them all back in! I'm a little loopy from it, but I think I still write can! Anyhoo…back to the story. In case some of you have let knowing what has happened so far fall out of** _ **your**_ **brains, let me do a very short re-cap: Evil Dan, Vlad and Danny have been examined rather roughly by Ĉasista, but we couldn't expect less from that vile creature. The she-spider has also tried to break and examined Sam so roughly that she has severely hurt the human girl physically. And poor Tucker! He escaped from the frying pan, only to end up in the fire! But he's still unconscious and now within the clutches of Angelus-alvus. Gee, I didn't realize that we've haven't tuned into Tucker for quite a while now. But, really, all we've done is put the remote on 'pause' for now when it comes to what's happening with him. So, you haven't missed a thing about that for now. Skulker is still among the prisoners, but is also very helpless. In the meantime, now that Ĉasista is overall satisfied with her examination of Evil Dan, Vlad, and Danny (not so much with him, of course) and her important items she had retrieved from the bowels of her lair secured, she is ready to begin to execute her ultimate plan. So, with the usual disclaimer that I don't own the DP characters but own this story and the original character in it, it's time for Chapter 26. Enjoy the show!**

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Entanglement—Chapter 26 Executing the Plan

Ĉasista was ready. Her treasures were secure and ripe to receive what she would shortly get for them.

All that remained was to tease her victims carefully so that in the end they would _willingly_ give her what she wanted from them. That way, the product would be pure enough for her treasures. After that, those prey would be completely helpless for her to bleed them as she desired!

The she-spirit approached the three powerful ghosts. She had no need to pay attention to the two humans or the Malofta as she had already decided that their fate would come later. And she did not care whether the Skulker was aware enough to observe all—all the more for him to dread his own fate!

Though she knew that Dan Phantom, Plasmius and Danny would not be able to answer her because they were still gagged, Ĉasista still said in fake-sweetness, "Aww, pets, the time has come. If you are cooperative with her, she will make it worth your while. But if you resist her any longer, she will make you suffer without mercy." She paused a moment before she added, "But Ĉasista thinks you will be interested in any proposition she has."

None of the three, of course, could say a word back, but merely glared at her. Still, they didn't care about any of her threats or games; and they weren't going to make anything she had planned for them easy.

"Of course, if you satisfy Ĉasista in telling her all about the special connection among you three that she knows that you have, she might be persuaded to let you go after she is finished with her task…"

Once again, only three sets of glaring eyes answered her…

The she-spider was quickly getting impatient. Her body tensed and her eyes flashed in different colors for a few moments. She then realized that she really could not afford to rile them up or what she wanted from them wouldn't be pure enough for her purpose.

But then, her eyes dulled to a steady red as she said only to herself, " _No need to be in a snit, Ĉasista dearest. Rather, the opportunity now presents itself to persuade these three stubborn, but delectably powerful, fools to do her bidding."_

Without hesitating, Ĉasista violently opened a telepathic channel into each of the ghosts' minds.

All three of the male ghosts hissed and twisted within their cocoons under the tremendous pain and pressure suddenly squeezing their brains. In fact, the pain was so intense that none of them were aware that the force within their ĉerkos that had been suppressing their powers was being leeched _out_.

Now satisfied that she had their minds in control before they could even think of resisting her, the spider spirit cooed to all three at the same time, " _Now, pets, Ĉasista has reflected on everything so far. It is indeed rare that one level-ten and two level-nine ghosts have come into her possession at the same time. And as rare as that is, it is just as rare for Ĉasista to allow any ghost to challenge her with its powers completely restored, much less three such powerful ones as yourselves. But since fate brought you three here in this moment of the Kosmon_ _ **[1]**_ _, let fate decide if any of you will take the chance of using your mightiest power against her! Understand that you would never claim victory by yourselves alone against her. But, perhaps, all of you fighting her together might be enough to open an opportunity to win your freedom while leaving the others to their own fates…"_

She eyed them individually but also at the same time, which was, of course, possible since she had eight eyes!

Though the spirit could sense that the Evil Dan and the Plasmius were tempted to take the chance, she was puzzled with the Daniel's thoughts.

" _Ugh!" That youngest one is irksome on many levels!"_ she immediately thought. " _Ĉasista could not examine its core enough to be sure it would comply with her offer; but it no longer matters. She is certain that its thoughts are only on that female ghost-to-be!"_

She frowned as she further probed Danny's mind. She could detect nothing else but concern and worry over that insignificant female!

In fact, Ĉasista could tell that the young fool was trying to contact the human female telepathically again!

The spider paused a moment as she scanned Sam's mind. She then thought in a mixture of puzzlement and irritation, " _The little fool of a ghost does not know that he will not be able to reach that ghost-to-be's mind, for she is beyond reaching!"_

Her insectoid face contorted in more dissatisfaction. " _Ugh, how disgusting! This young trouble-maker deeply cares for that human! He is the most imperfect of these three for her plans!...Nevertheless, Ĉasista still detected such delicious power from him…Well, then, since he still has what she desires, she will make him more perfect—and the others as well!"_

Meanwhile, Evil Dan had indeed been toying with taking up on Ĉasista's offer to hit her with his mightiest power. He knew exactly which one of them he would attack her with!

But then, the future ghost thought with sudden suspicion, " _Is she on the level? And what's up with that 'offer'?"_ He then scoffed, _"And I'll have to work with those other losers? Humph! As if I need any help from them!"_

He mentally shook his head and rejected that thought, _"No! I've never trusted anyone before, and I'm not about to start now!"_

Dark Dan paused in thought yet again as he fell into his pure-ego's urgings, " _That's it! This whole thing has been one big game! She knows that she only captured me because she caught me off-guard; and so, she must know that I can hurt her! Though her powers are a bit interesting, they really aren't that impressive. She must not have any other powers than what she has already used, and so, she's not as 'all-powerful' as she boasts! She's been bluffing! She must know, then, that she could not withstand any of my powers!"_

Then he countered, _"But then, if she is not as powerful as she claims to be, what does she really want? How can my attacking her benefit her? Why bring me here just to defeat her in her own lair?"_

He smiled smugly as he thought _, "Unless…she really doesn't need all of us—only the weakest ones! And this is just her perverse way of selecting them! Well, it ain't gonna be me!"_

Before he could ponder about it any longer, all of the sudden he was thinking about Valerie of all people and things!

But there was more!

Though he knew what he was seeing was only in his mind, he had no doubt about the threat he was 'witnessing'…

And as much as he tried to resist it, he couldn't stop the 'movie' that was playing in his head…

The future ghost saw a portal that looked exactly like the one that had captured him and the dweebs. It was travelling through space so rapidly that the surroundings were blurred. But then, it jolted to a sudden stop. He saw Ĉasista emerge out of it and step into…Amity Park— _his future_ Amity Park!

He could see her grotesque face turn this way and that, surveying the area for…

Dan felt his core constrict even as he insisted that what he was seeing was merely one of the spider-witch's tricks…

The large spirit had turned invisible before quickly drifting over toward a nearby building. And then, Valerie— _his future_ Valerie—was coming out of the building before turning away from the spider. And then, Ĉasista was pouncing on the girl, slamming her onto the sidewalk and then…

The future ghost scrunched his eyes shut, trying to purge the scene from his mind without success. He could suddenly hear a grotesque laugh echoing triumphantly in his mind. He knew that kind of laugh…it was very much like the one he did when he had made up his mind to annihilate something…He had no doubt at that moment that the spider was willing to travel through time and…destroy Valerie unless he…

An odd yet familiar sensation filled his chest and even his mind. Even as he denied it, he thought, " _If that fat-lip creature thinks she's gonna bump off my favorite nemesis, then I will do more than just defeat her when she gives me that chance. I will_ _ **destroy**_ _her!"_

As he began to concentrate on summoning his greatest power to be ready at a moment's notice—not realizing that it was indeed possible at this moment—he mentally threw his thoughts at the spider he knew was in his mind, _"If it's a fight you want, witch, bring it on!"_

During this entire time, Vlad, too, had been contemplating the spider-spirit's offer. But unlike his ghost-half-gone-wild within Evil Dan, the older hybrid was more careful in his ponderings… _"Just what are Ĉasista's ultimate plans in this 'offer'? There has to be a trick to all of this since no ghost would set up such a 'deal' without its having some benefit for them. And I should know, since that is what I always do! Besides, I don't trust her…Then, I wouldn't expect her to trust me, either! All the more reason, then, that I could convince her to consider a counter deal that would, of course, benefit me while making her think that it was benefiting her more! Hmmm…let me think…"_

A few moments later, his scarlet eyes brightened in triumph. _"Ah-ha, Vlad! You've done it again, you old rascal! That might do the trick…Now, if…"_

But before he could finish his thought, he hitched in a gasp as a scene that had suddenly 'appeared' in his mind without his permission began to quickly unfold.

Though he was now angry when he knew that Ĉasista had invaded his mind again, he could not stop the flow of his thoughts…

As he watched the disturbing 'show', he had an unquestionable feeling that the spider wasn't bluffing in the least and would carry out this 'threat' she was making privy to him!

" _No!"_ he mentally shouted, _"She's planning to…to kill Maddie! I won't let her!"_

But then, he felt his throat tighten when the scene radically shifted…

The spider was back in her lair and suddenly reeling in another one of her ĉerkos after another successful hunt. And then Ĉasista was taking the _human_ Daniel out of that ĉerko…And then the insect was plastering him to the wall with her webbing, before she was touching his chest with one of her forelegs. Moments later, he heard the boy's bone-chilling screams as the spider began to flay him alive…

Though the older hybrid tried to deny it, his obsession with having Daniel as his ally and…son was too much.

Plasmius could feel the temperature of his core rise and his ecto-acne anti-bodies begin to boil with his outrage at the spider's affront on all levels—for invading his mind, and for threatening his love and his would-be son. In fact, he was so focused on his rage that he didn't realize that this was the first time he had felt his powers surge since he had been captured.

" _How dare you threaten me, you despicable creature!"_ he mentally hissed to the entity he was sure was listening. _"I was prepared to make you another deal! But you've underestimated me and so, you leave me no other choice. If you know what's good for you, you will release me immediately! But if you threaten me anymore, I will make sure to give you a harsh and very painful lesson as to why I am feared in the Ghost Zone!"_

" _Tsk-tsk, pet. I will destroy you easily if you attack me alone. I will not release you unless you are willing to fight me along with the others,"_ she taunted back.

The older hybrid concentrated on bringing forth his mightiest power and darkly threatened, _"I do not need anyone else's help, you foul spirit! And I can't wait to see you suffer—before I destroy you!"_

Ĉasista then probed the youngest ghost's mind once again. She frowned when the only thing _still_ filling it was his concern and worry over the injury of that female ghost-to-be!

What she called imperfect feelings—which all others recognized as good—repulsed her so much that she mentally pulled away momentarily. It didn't help that those feelings were so strong that she was having a bit of a hard time imprinting her own thoughts upon him.

But what she didn't know was that she had initially failed for a reason that had occurred only moments before she had tried to barge into the teen's mind…

In all this time that Casista had been only 'listening into' the older Phantom's and Plasmius's thoughts, Danny had been concentrating on trying to reach his love telepathically. He wished with all of his heart that he could heal his girl.

Suddenly, an idea erupted in Danny's brain, " _Wait! Sam was able to use her telekinetic powers telepathically. Now that I know I can use my spirit energy in other ways, maybe I can use it to transfer some of my healing power to her telepathically!"_

Now full of hope, the teen began to concentrate even harder, which unbeknownst to him, actually briefly blocked Ĉasista. But before he could fully secure any kind of connection with his girl, he mentally gasped.

Danny was suddenly aware that Ĉasista was trying to invade his mind again! And if she suspected he was trying to block her, which he sort of was, she might discover what he was doing and try to destroy Sam sooner than later!

" _No more time! I can't chance having that evil thing hurting Sam anymore. Maybe once_ Ĉasista _leaves my brain—eww, that is so gross— I can try to cure Sam so that we can fight Ĉasista together!"_ he said with a mental grunt.

But then, he groaned when the pain in his head increased tenfold! And suddenly, his mind was flooded with all kinds of awful thoughts that he knew that the spider had foisted upon him. Ĉasista _did_ plan on destroying Sam…if he didn't cooperate with what she wanted him and the others to do!

And to top it off, he heard the spider's evil cackle rattling his brain, as if to taunt him with her wicked plans.

The boy was suddenly very angry at his attacker and began to will his mightiest power forward. But then, he suddenly sensed that the spirit was pleased that he was going to attack her like she wanted—with his mightiest power.

Being puzzled by that thought only knocked the anger out of him.

" _I don't care what she wants me to do! I've got to help Sam!"_ he finally said to himself with more resolved.

He instantly shifted his thoughts to his original plans, which were focused on helping Sam.

And then, the boy momentarily paused in his task, _"Why can I actually feel my powers intensifying? Could it be that whatever I'm doing is working, uh, even though I don't know how—or even if— it's working?"_

He shrugged and began to focus once more.

Danny concentrated so intensely that his head started to throb with more pain than the usual, since his head hurt ever since Ĉasista first invaded it anyways. Though he knew he was still telepathically connected to the evil creature, which still grossed him out, he hoped that she wouldn't notice that he wasn't intensifying his attacking powers, but that he was concentrating on somehow relay his healing powers telepathically to Sam—that is, _if_ he could.

Ĉasista was ready! She was satisfied that her mental assault on those three ghosts' brains, which imprinted on them that she would destroy their loved ones, had stoked blind anger in all of them. Soon, their rage would be high enough for them to want to attack her with all of their might.

She momentarily closed her eyes to relish the moment. She could almost taste their powers as they continued to swell in intensity. It would be just a core beat longer…

Little did she know, however, that she had indeed mistaken Danny's increasing power for his wanting destroy her instead of his strong desire to help Sam.

Suddenly, Ĉasista summoned electricity from the surroundings and attacked not the ghosts, but one of the walls of her lair. A portal instantly materialized!

The she-spider then announced to each of the three powerful ghosts, but in a way so that they would think she was only addressing him and him alone, _"So, you think you are the most powerful of the three? Prove it, or else you would be foolish enough to believe that Ĉasista will leave your 'loved' ones alone!"_

Finally, the wicked she-spirit summoned the rest of the energy suppressing the three ghosts' powers out of their respective ĉerkos and removed the webbing from their arms and removed their gags while positioning herself as if she were squaring off in a western duel.

All three male ghosts instantly knew that all of their powers had suddenly intensified and were now at their command! They didn't think to question how. They opened their cores, ready to unleash their powers.

In the next instant, several things happened simultaneously:

Dark Dan belched out his ghostly wail; Vlad Plasmius let loose his tornado power; Danny projected his healing power; and Ĉasista shot out four thick strands of red webbing in the midst of the ghosts' attack.

Before any of the ghost's powers could fully leave their bodies, however, three of the sticky red strands instantly caught the effects of each of the ghost's powers, and pushed them back at each of their masters.

But there was more!

As if those same respective strands were now thrown fishing lines, each of them entered into each of the male ghosts' mouths!

Dan, Vlad and Danny gagged helplessly as the scarlet, burning webbing plowed further into their mouths and down their throats.

But in the very next instant, the webbing also choked off the ghosts' screams of agony when it felt as if something was carving into each of their already-opened cores. And then, each felt something being yanked out of their cores before the painful sensation began to retrace its steps toward their mouths.

Vlad and Danny felt they might be asphyxiated from the strangling pressure since they still needed to breathe. But the process had in fact only lasted a few seconds. Neither could they nor Dark Dan know that the fourth strand of webbing that Ĉasista had initially formed had split into three before each of its branches had quickly latched onto each of the ghosts' auras before almost simultaneously capturing and enveloping their arms once more…

Each of the powerful ghosts choked on the scarlet webbing as it continued to travel upwards and through their mouths. As the webbing completely passed each set of lips, all of the ghosts were so dizzy from the assault that they could not be aware that their ĉerkos had re-wound about them. Nor could they see the three small spheres each of the webbing was now gently swaddling: a bright red sphere from Evil Dan; a glowing scarlet sphere from Vlad Plasmius; and a glimmering blue sphere from Danny.

A core-beat later, all three ghosts' still-spinning heads fell to each of their chests. Dark Dan, Vlad and Danny knew that something was terribly wrong as they panted in incredible pain.

Their cores! Not only were they injured, but they felt as if something was missing…

Nevertheless, all three ghosts struggled to lift their heads and look at the wicked spirit since she was cackling almost hysterically in triumph!

And that's when Ĉasista's victims saw the orbs now gently cupped in three pairs of Ĉasista's legs!

All three ghosts helplessly watched on as the spider shot out more webbing before she skirted on it with her remaining two legs to the nest of glowing orbs. Once in front of the nest, she quickly went to work.

Each pair of legs holding a glowing orb taken from a ghost began to push and pull on each sphere until the balls began to distort and elongate. In no time, the glowing orbs were no more, but had become three taffy-like glowing ribbons that the spider continued to stretch and thin out. Finally, the spider was satisfied and draped each of the newly-formed glowing red, scarlet and blue 'blankets' until most of the orbs within the nest were covered. She did not worry that not all of her treasure had been covered.

Dan, Vlad and Danny continued to be mesmerized by the scene even when their heads were still spinning and their cores ached. Then, the two red and single blue shimmering blankets were absorbed by the nestled orbs.

Suddenly all of the orbs began to swell and glow intensely. They quickly changed in shape, twitching even grotesquely so as they continued to grow. Some of them throbbed with red energy, others with blue.

The three helpless victims couldn't help but hear the thundering yet gleeful voice of the spider-spirit, "Ah, pets, once again, Ĉasista never reveals her true plans until they are fulfilled. And you have been so instrumental in their fruition that she is compelled to continue to follow the ritual, which is to explain all before she completes her plans! That way, you can be satisfied about your importance in the Kosmon."

Her insectoid face hitched up into a hideous smirk as some of her eyes looked at each of her prey. The rest of her eyes continued to observe the happenings in the nest even as she added, "Ĉasista is sure that you have never noticed that all ghosts have certain power levels, have you, pets?"

Actually, Dan, Vlad and Danny all knew about the different power levels of ghosts, though at least Dan and Vlad weren't aware of anything significant _other than_ a particular ghost's power level…

The spider continued, "And she is certain that you are unaware of the fact that there are only so many ghosts of a particular power level, eh? Or, most importantly, how the number of ghosts in each level significantly decreases as their particular power level increases, especially the level nine or higher-powered ghosts? And all of it has to do with balance. It is how Ĉasista planned it."

"The number of 'level-nine' ghosts was satisfactory for eons; but then, it was suddenly at its threshold when, for some reason, Ĉasista sensed that a foreign ghost had entered the list. Ĉasista was perplexed on how that could be, but she did not think it important at the time because the balance was still there. That is, it was still balanced until she became aware of a _second_ foreign ghost that had increased in power. And then Ĉasista sensed a _third_ foreign ghost that upset the balance in the number of level-ten ghosts even more! She could tolerate it no longer and had to act."

"But in the end, you, pets, have been very cooperative with Ĉasista! She has once again restored balance in the Kosmon because now, the number of level-nine ghosts has now been _reduced,_ for at least two of you are no longer 'level-nine' ghosts! But, she is not finished!"

She then frowned when that thought led to another and said only to herself, " _True, Ĉasista has yet to be successful in balancing the level-_ _ **ten**_ _group of ghosts and spirits, though she is pleased that she will eliminate the one in her power, even if he is from the future! But she soon will neutralize those other irritating spirit realms in spite of their defenses."_

She then turned to look at the still-changing orbs and suddenly puckered her insectoid face in puzzlement. She quickly skirted over to them and touched several of the red-glowing ones. A smile suddenly cracked through when she glanced at what actually were her _eggs_ and then back at Dark Dan and Vlad, and mused, " _These are particularly strong! Indeed, the power she harvested from those two were particularly impressive! Perhaps, the Plasmius was correct: half-ghosts were special in that the power harvested from them is particularly strong!"_

As she continued to gently inspect the glowing red brood, she added out loud, "And your powerful energies that you willingly gave to Ĉasista will in due time form an army of new ghosts for Ĉasista so that she might no longer worry about the balance of the cosmos being in jeopardy again!"

She suddenly chuckled at what seemed as her own private joke as she continued, and picked up one of the eggs, admiring it as it continued to change. "She should say that she will have an army of her _children_ ; for you see, pets, Ĉasista is the mother of most ghosts! True, many ghosts are of, ugh, human origin and are capable of, ugh, replicating themselves…but not to the point that Ĉasista cannot control their numbers! But most ghosts—the more superior, non-human kind—originate as you are witnessing! Ĉasista prepares her brood to accept the energies of ghosts who have upset the balance, no matter their power! But depending on the quality, purity and power of the energy taken from those ghosts, ghosts of other, though lower power levels, will be formed—all of them evil and all of them imprinted to do Ĉasista's bidding!"

Vlad's eyes widened in disbelief. That is why he felt so…weak and so injured! Ĉasista had stolen his tornado power when he thought he could destroy her with it moments ago! He could now feel that he was significantly weaker in overall power!

Not only was the older hybrid right, but she had also stolen the two powers the others had been wanting to use: Dark Dan's ghostly wail and Danny's healing power!

Suddenly, Ĉasista shifted her inspection to the blue glowing orbs. They were changing more slowly than the red ones. And as soon as she touched one of them, she shrieked.

"NO!" she loudly uttered, "These will not do! The energy they received was not pure!"

She suddenly jerked her eyes toward Danny and accused, "This is your fault, worm!"

She followed that up with generating more electricity from her lair before driving a large bolt into Danny!

The teen yelled at the blow as his ĉerko lit up and started to actually smoke from the large blow! If his head wasn't spinning enough, he was totally thrown into a vortex of blackness and was still.

But then, the spider stopped as quickly as she had started. After all, she wasn't finished with her plans and could permanently damage the young creature's core now that it had been rent open by her taking one of his powers. She still hungered for the rest of his powers, which she knew would be much purer than the one she had gotten.

Then she frowned in dissatisfaction when she saw that there were several other eggs that had not received any energy. She quickly scurried over to Dark Dan. Now that his core was also torn open, she no longer needed him to 'willingly' give her one of his powers. Indeed, from now on, it would be very easy for her to siphon off more of his energy—with or without his cooperation!

'You are only temporarily a 'level-nine' ghost, pet, " she cooed to the future ghost, though there was no sweetness to her tone. "But Ĉasista will not have that! Now is the time that you join the other 'new' 'level-eight' ghosts that are beside you!"

Her hideous face smiled smugly. She knew very well that whenever a ghost lost one of his powers, his overall rank in power would diminish!

She instantly shot out more red webbing, which easily plunged into Dan's core as it had done before.

Evil Dan was helpless in having more of his power harvested by the spirit. And he knew by how he was feeling moments later that he indeed was as Plasmius and his younger self now were: level-eight ghosts! But he also had the feeling that the spider was still hungry!

And indeed, Ĉasista was, now that some of her forming eggs were no longer desirable. Nevertheless, she would not think of exterminating them. Once they had hatched, they would merely be added to the vast number of 'level-one' Malfortas, only these would be completely harmless, which meant that they would be harmless and, ugh, good!

Once she was through shaping Evil Dan's stolen power into another 'blanket' as she had done before, she covered the remaining eggs with it. But then, she was surprised to see that there was 'leftover' energy.

"This will not do as well," she said to herself, since she never wasted energy harvested from her victims. "She will need to get more…eggs!"

She looked at their victims. None of them was in any shape to do anything. Not that it would matter, because escape was impossible!

Now satisfied with her decision, Ĉasista headed for another trip down into the bowels of her abode…

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 **[1] Esperanto for 'Cosmos'.**

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 **A/N: Well, gang, I hope it was worth the wait. And even though I know I deserve the delay, I hope you will be a good, sweet Malforta and give me a review, which for me, will be like eating all that Easter candy. I'll try not to delay the next update. Thanks for your support! truephan**


	27. Chapter 27 Touch-and-Go

**A/N: Hi again, everybodee! I'm so excited that things are back on track! My beta has been under the weather a bit, but now, she's all better, which means, job done and time to post! A short recap: Danny, Dan Phantom and Vlad have just been attacked by Ĉasista in a very sinister away and she has robbed them of some of their power and reduced them all to level-eight ghosts. And as a result, all of them have very injured cores. Sam successfully resisted having Ĉasista take over her mind. But, in the process, she was physically injured to the point that her injuries are also severe. And Tucker is still unconscious and helpless _and_ within the clutches of Angelus-alvus—as if that wasn't bad enough! (P.S. I know it's been a while since we tuned into what's happening to Tucker, but there is a reason for that.). I think that this re-cap will bring you up to speed, except that there are some spoilers about some of my other stories in this chapter. But, wait. What about Skulker? Glad you asked! In the meantime, I have to make that disclaimer that I don't own the Danny Phantom characters, but I do own this story and the original character in it! Enjoy the show!**

Entanglement—Chapter 27 Touch-and-Go

Skulker had watched helplessly as this entire drama unfolded. But then, after all that had happened, he suddenly wished that he wasn't such a great hunter whose senses had been on high alert from the beginning. And that was because what he had seen, smelled and heard so far filled him with dread. Even then, he had felt compelled—while secretly welcoming the distraction—to analyze the scent he had detected around the young half-ghost shortly after that foul spirit had attacked him with her lightning…Aside from the anxiety and pain he had detected from the pup's scent after that assault, overall, its smell had definitely returned to something _familiar_ ; and the hunter unconsciously smirked. But then, he frowned in puzzlement. There was more. Something odd. Why hadn't he noticed it before? And why did that minuscule difference in the whelp's scent seem _similar_ to his human friend, Tucker?

But Skulker had no more time to think about it, because he unconsciously tensed when Ĉasista suddenly drew nearer to him; or he should say, right to the young whelp before he noticed the teen ghost writhe in his cocoon as if he was in more pain. The Ghost Hunter carefully took a whiff in and knew he wasn't wrong about that: the pup _was_ in more pain…And he also detected a strong scent coming from the other two ghosts. They, too, were in pain again. But then, he frowned. He didn't _feel_ any of their pain as he had before. And that is when he suddenly realized that Ĉasista had released his mind for some reason.

Little did he know that the spirit had indeed disconnected her link with him because she wanted to use all of her powers to complete her plans with the three other ghosts.

Before the Ghost Hunter could ponder about that any longer, his eyes steered back to the giant insect, which had backed up away from all of them enough for him to clearly see her.

Then Skulker's eyes widened and he swallowed thickly when the she-spider all of the sudden violently assaulted the three other ghosts. He had never seen that kind of attack before and he knew from the painful screams and grunts from the other ghosts that something terrible had happened! He unconsciously shivered that _that_ would probably be happening soon to him as well.

But then, he saw Ĉasista turn so that her back was slightly to him and her front was to the three other ghosts before he heard her say with dreadful glee, "Ah, pets, once again, Ĉasista never reveals her true plans until they are fulfilled. And you have been so instrumental in their fruition that she is compelled to continue to follow the ritual, which is to explain all before she completes her plans! That way, you can be satisfied about your importance in the _Kosmon_." **[1]**

Skulker listened carefully to all of her other comments as well.

This was not good news.

And then he suddenly saw the glowing orbs! And he still thought that what Ĉasista had said about them was incredible. He had never heard of any creature being able to rob a ghost's power from right out of their cores. He paused…wait. He _had seen_ the _Angelus_ take several orbs out of the whelp a few weeks ago when the spirit had attacked the boy in Vlad's simulation room!…But was that the same thing that Ĉasista had just done? He, of course, didn't know.

Though he was now anxious over this development, his curious nature carefully watched the she-spirit as she brought those glowing orbs over to that area that she had earlier prepared. He observed it all in fascination more than dread.

And he was completely brought out of his thoughts when he saw the spirit go to work on those orbs. She twisted and turned them until they were flat and wide before she draped them over what turned out to be her 'eggs'. At first, she seemed satisfied with the results; but then, for some unknown reason, she grew angry at the whelp and attacked him with electricity again!

Skulker immediately swallowed the lump in his throat when his own ĉerko was momentarily blanketed in the smoke coming off of the teen's ĉerko at the impact. When he could see again, he couldn't help but notice that this time, the young hybrid had been knocked out by that vicious electrical blow. He frowned at the strange feeling in his core. Why should it bother him? He immediately grew irritated and rejected those feelings. After all, he had no bond with the whelp. Besides, he needed to keep alert in case the wicked spirit decided to foist her ire onto him!

His face scowled when he slightly chided himself, _"As if I can do anything about it one way or the other!"_

But then, the hunter's sharp ears heard Ĉasista address that future ghost before he heard that ghost cry out in pain again. After Skulker saw another red orb within her claws shortly thereafter, which she manipulated like the other orbs, he could only conclude that she was doing more damage to the hapless future creature's core.

Which meant, of course, that more mischief was to come!

Suddenly, however, the she-spider seemed to be hesitating before she scurried out of sight, like she had already done a couple of times.

What did that mean?

The hunter immediately sniffed the air…at least he was satisfied that the she-spider had indeed left the area and was far enough away—for now. But for how long, he, of course, didn't know.

But when his talent for analyzing smells finally recognized that there was still a faint residue from the whelp's attack, he frowned and grumbled under his breath. True, he was instantly curious about that scent and what he had detected before…. Still, he wasn't going to allow himself _to feel sorry_ for the boy!

He rolled his eyes in irritation even as he glanced briefly at the quiet whelp and thought, " _I must be very desperate to waste my time and thoughts on a half-ghost who made it a point to tell me that we are still enemies before all of this mess started!"_ He paused and then admitted, _"Well, all right. It's not as if I had anything_ _ **else**_ _to do right now, especially when I cannot resist my power's insistence that I analyze. Besides, how could I_ _ **not**_ _notice everything that has happened to the Ghost Boy ever since he got here when he is literally within a whisper's length away?!"_

He frowned and shook those thoughts away. " _Humph! I have to give into my obsession because a hunter should keep his mind sharp! Besides, I still haven't been able to come up with any plan of escape."_

He was very curious about two things in particular: how the boy had survived that wicked electrical shock the second time, much less the first; and the young hybrid's odd behavior—including the peculiar scent surrounding it—in reaction to the human girl's cries.

First of all, he was sure by the smell of ions and the smoke that had immediately floated off of the boy's scorched body that the shock Ĉasista had given the pup was incredibly strong. And why the boy hadn't ended up like a baked potato within his ĉerko was beyond him!

But Skulker—and even Ĉasista—couldn't have known that the _first time_ Ĉasista had attacked Danny with electricity, it hadn't harmed his core in the least. And that was because Danny had a very tough layer of ice around his core; and of course, ice was a poor conductor of electricity. But more than that, Spectre spirit energy was also interwoven into his core, which not only strengthened that protective shell, but also protected him from permanent injury. The spider hadn't been able to detect that spirit energy because she hadn't been able to breach his core at that time. And besides, Danny had strong healing power at that time.

However, when Ĉasista had electrocuted the boy _the second time_ , his core had not sustained any more injury than it had after the spider had robbed him of his healing power when he had willingly opened his core to try to transmit his healing power to Sam. That is, his core for the most part was still surrounded with that tough layer of ice bolstered by Spectre spirit energy. But since his healing power had been stolen, he could not rebound quickly like he had done previously.

All the Hunter knew at this point was that the last massive jolt had affected the boy enough that he was still unconscious and didn't even show any signs that he was recovering anytime soon.

Still…

Skulker's thoughts shifted back to what his hunter's nose had gleaned out of all the smells of electricity, smoke and aura.

Curious.

" _Hmm,"_ he mused as he continue to analyze the remnant scents, " _why did I not I notice this before…well, okay, I have been too busy getting tortured by the she-spider when she first brought me here and then with all of this other mischief and trying to come up with an escape plan to pay attention to much of anything else…"_

He suddenly huffed only to himself, _"Enough! Get on with it!"_

He wasn't aware that he had smiled slightly at his final conclusion: Danny Phantom no longer reeked of those foul traits that he had detected when he had last encountered the boy just a couple or so days ago. He still clearly remembered how the boy had seemed so unlike his usual self. And even his friends had seemed disconcerted, especially after the whelp had destroyed Tucker's PDA…

He suddenly frowned at his next perplexing thought. _"But how was it possible for the whelp to change that drastically, especially when that smell around him back then had been incredibly strong and definitive?"_

He tried to think of a reason, but was at a loss. But he was certain from how the boy had acted when his female friend was being attacked that the boy _no longer_ had the stench of selfishness, egotism, pomposity, or smugness of any kind any more.

Before the cyborg could squelch it—since he wasn't even aware of it—his smile widened. Now he knew the reason for the boy's seemingly sudden change in his character: it had _never_ really changed! It had just somehow been…altered for some reason. Still, he was…glad….that the pup had returned to his… _regular_ self: that is, being a _hero_ again.

But then, Skulker scoffed when he caught onto himself! _"That is incorrect! I am just glad that my special power continues to be stellar in detecting the state of a ghost's core, pure and simple!"_

When he managed to be in more control of his emotions, he scrunched up his face….No, there was something….more about the boy's scent several moments ago. It was strangely familiar…And then, there was another, newer scent that was masking that other, now-dwindling scent!

But before he could reflect further about that, he thought he heard the young hybrid moan!

And when he turned to look at the boy, his eyes widened when he could plainly see that even though it was obvious that the whelp had finally recovered, he _wasn't_ moaning.

The Ghost Child was softly _crying_ ; and the smell around the boy's aura had changed yet again.

Skulker's face puckered in concentration as he tried to analyze the emotions…but then, he frowned in confusion…The hunter didn't detect any despair in the aura; but he was suddenly worried. The boy's emotions were fuzzy, and he couldn't sort them out.

And indeed, Skulker was right. Danny was still very dizzy and weak, which didn't help him to ward off all of his emotions right now.

Skulker wrinkled his brow and nose when he caught a strong whiff of something else. " _What is this? I detect a strange emotion emanating from the whelp. I do not know of it nor understand it!"_

And so, Skulker couldn't have possibly guessed that Danny was feeling very guilty and was extremely sorry for all that had happened to his girl when he interfered with the spider. And he knew he would be responsible for the same thing happening to his friend, Tucker—if it hadn't already happened since the boy couldn't be sure where Tucker was…

The Ghost Hunter tried to detect any other emotion impregnating the boy's aura at the moment.

Again, Skulker couldn't get what the boy was feeling. He couldn't know that the boy was beating himself up and thinking that if he hadn't been such a jerk in the first place, he and his friends wouldn't be in this predicament! And it didn't help that he was still too dizzy and injured to even begin to figure a way out of this mess and rescue his friends…and even the others. After all, even his enemies didn't deserve this kind of…fate.

Then, Skulker's eyes unconsciously softened when he spied tears running down the whelp's face…And for the first time in his after-life, he felt a new emotion. He felt…pity for the boy, which accidentally opened another channel to the ghost's keener ability, an ability he always denied because he always thought it had made him weak, but actually was an ability that could detect minute details about anything that all of his senses had experienced whether he paid attention to them or not! And that gift was his empathetic side.

Nevertheless, the robotic ghost's eyes and brain brightened at the sudden realization: there was yet _another_ smell that he had somehow overlooked!

He quickly looked not at the Ghost Boy, but at his _ĉerko_! He could barely get his binocular vision to focus on a certain part of it in order to analyze it, but a few moments later, he almost yelped in glee.

Still, Skulker managed only to think to himself, _"Advantage: Skulker! I did smell it! Definitely the smell of burned—and, more importantly—_ _ **damaged**_ _webbing!"_

And that thought immediately led to another: the _other_ whelp, that is, Tucker! Though Skulker still didn't know why an ordinary human couldn't have just phased through anything ghostly in the Ghost Zone…Wait…Maybe things made by _spirits_ affected humans differently? Now the cyborg wasn't sure. But then, he shook his head in denial. Though spirits were more powerful than ghosts, but both spirits and ghosts used some form of ecto-energy and so, humans should have phased through things made of spirits, too. Or maybe not. That would make some sense since Tucker could only have escaped from his _cerko_ by cutting through it. Perhaps it _did_ have something to do with being human. And the whelp was half-human. If the Ghost Child happened to have an anti-ectoplasmic knife on him, he could do the same thing and was just too upset to come up with that idea himself.

The Ghost Hunter shook his head, unsatisfied with that explanation. Then how could a mere _human_ knife—even with anti-ectoplasmic resin coating it—cut through webbing made of _spirit_ energy when a simple human couldn't phase through it?

Suddenly, the older ghost startled at the next hunch that sprung out of his head. He mentally erupted, _"How could I have forgotten about_ _ **that**_ _scent? A great hunter…oh, never mind! But that knife! Tucker's knife! I knew there was something not quite right about that glow—and its smell— and I did not understand how he could cut through spirit energy! And now I know!_ "

The ghost paused as he searched his memory again and re-examined his conclusion. He smiled in satisfaction. It had to be right!

" _Yes, that is the only logical explanation!"_ the Hunter mused. _"I knew that the energy around the knife was not made up of_ _ **just**_ _anti-ectoplasmic energy! It was made of…_

Skulker halted in his thoughts. He simply wouldn't believe his conclusion, something that not even Tucker had known about when he was trying to get into the _Sfero de Ĥaoso_. _"No! Impossible— even if the answer is logical! It could not be possibly generated by human hands!"_

He shook his head in denial, as if that would settle anything! Still, he couldn't help but think, _"There is no way that a mere human could have_ _ **spirit energy**_ _at his disposal!"_

He paused again, before admitting, _"Well, all right. So, I do not know everything there is to know about spirits and their energy! But I know some things, like recognizing it when I finally, uh, pay attention. And I have experienced and can smell Timeless Magic spirit energy and did capture and study the Angelus…and the smell of the energy around Tucker's knife …"_

Skulker wracked his mind over trying to think of any other reason why Tucker could escape than the one he still refused to believe. Finally, his eyes brightened in satisfaction. Just like him, he already knew that Tucker had also been able to capture an Observant weapon when they had rescued Vlad and the whelp from the Observants' prison…The dark-skinned boy must have kept that one and had somehow been able to use a small piece of the gem full of Timeless Magic, like him, and used it to…

But then, the cyborg scrunched his eyes, concentrating on double-checking his memory. He then frowned and mused, _"No. The whelp's friend said that the knife was coated in anti-ectoplasmic energy…But it did not smell like that. I am now certain that it smelled like_ _ **spirit e**_ _nergy. And it was not artificially produced…it was generated organically….NO! I still refuse to believe it, especially when there is no explanation on how an ordinary human could somehow infuse spirit energy into himself!"_

Nevertheless, the robotic ghost wasn't satisfied. He concentrated even harder this round on remembering every minuscule smell surrounding that odd green glow around Tucker's knife. In all that while, his mind also tried to analyze the memories at the same time…

His eyebrows arched when he could tell that his special power didn't disappoint him—and yet, he was shocked in the end that it didn't disappoint him because he hoped he had been wrong about his conclusion! But before he would accept it, he still wondered how it could even be since Tucker was, obviously, well, _not dead,_ and so not a ghost! So how could a human have spirit energy when…

Suddenly, a light bulb flashed throughout his ghostly brain cells.

" _The Spectre!"_ he shouted only within his own mind. _"That energy around the knife smelled a little like the Spectre did—and I will never forget how foul they did smell!"_ He frowned for losing his train of thought and immediately re-focused. _"And when the Spectre attacked and defeated Vlad and his clones, they did not attack the whelp and his little friends!"_

Skulker then recalled what the whelp had said to Vlad shortly after he had pulled something out of his pocket and wrapped his hand around it:

 _"No, jerk!" the whelp had said with grit, "I might not have the strength to fight you right now, but I have a greater strength—one you know nothing about! They're called friends, Plasmius! And you will never defeat me while I still have friends!"…_ _Skulker could still see the pup grin in relief even as he weakly whispered to his arch-enemy. "Vlad, meet the Spectre… my friends."_

Now, the Ghost Hunter was certain that the Spectre were actual _friends_ of the whelp and his little helpers! Of course, he didn't know how that had happened, especially when he had never heard of their race until they had come to the apparent rescue of the whelp and his friends that time when Vlad had tried to brainwash the whelp…He suddenly paused and swallowed the bitter lump at remembering that entire ordeal…But he shook it away and refocused on his previous train of thought…He frowned pensively. So, did that necessarily mean that the Spectre had somehow given at least Tucker some spirit energy?

Unsatisfied with that deduction, he frowned more and mentally shook his head.

Nevertheless, he couldn't help but think, _"But if Tucker somehow had spirit energy—and you cannot deny that he did indeed use it—why did the Spectre do that?"_

But then, Skulker's eyes widened as he continued, " _And even if the Spectre had their reasons—which I cannot fathom why—then, could it be that they also might have given spirit energy to the whelp and…maybe his female friend?"_

The hunter's face puckered when he suddenly remembered that other scent he had detected briefly around the young half-ghost when he looked as if he was in a trance—which, unbeknownst to Skulker, was when Danny was mentally helping Sam fight Ĉasista…In fact, the boy had seemed to fall into a trance shortly after the human female had screamed! He paused briefly. Besides wondering how the pup had survived Ĉasista's attack, understanding why his scent had changed so radically after the girl had screamed was the _other_ thing he was very curious about...And _now_ he was certain that it somehow smelled oddly _familiar!_ It smelled _exactly like_ the energy around Tucker's knife—only stronger! Could it be? Though the ghost wasn't completely satisfied with that hunch, he secretly hoped that he was right.

And there was only one way to find out, which would be important for him to know anyways.

So, if Skulker could convince the young half-ghost that he also had the same kind of spirit energy as his friend Tucker at his disposal, perhaps…

All of the sudden, the cyborg halted in thought. Would the Ghost Child think he was nuts for suggesting such a wild idea?

He mentally harrumphed, " _It is NOT a wild idea! My special power is_ _ **never**_ _wrong…"_

But then, he paused when another, more important, thought phased to his consciousness: Would the Ghost Child try to free all the others here if he were suddenly free? The hunter had no doubt that the young half-ghost would rescue the girl first…But would Danny Phantom prove to the hunter's skills—and the hope he still denied—right beyond a doubt that the boy was a truly honorable hero for taking pity on and therefore releasing even his like-fated enemies if he had the chance?

But then, Skulker tightened his lips in a mixture of worry and acquiescence. _He_ certainly would have only rescued Vlad and left the others to their cruel fate if he were suddenly free! He paused at the sudden flutter in his core. _Wouldn't he?_

The hunter squared his jaw and gritted his teeth when he didn't know the answer anymore! Still, he couldn't deny it: his core still wondered if Danny Phantom was the same hero he _always_ thought him to be in spite of all the turmoil that he himself had caused the whelp!

And his spectral ears finally tuned back to the young hybrid within a whisper's distance.

The pup was still weeping, though by now it was more audible, even if barely. And he could see from the corner of his eye that the boy was still struggling with his bonds!

Acting on his hunch, the hunter took a big whiff of the boy…and put his skills to the ultimate test…

The robotic ghost slightly smirked that the same scent was surrounding the whelp: the boy was still worried—perhaps about his friends—and still blaming himself for their peril…And he was feeling very helpless at this moment…but there was _more_.

" _Advantage: Skulker!"_ he thought as his smile widened slightly at the realization.

He knew he was completely right about the whelp! But not only that, the boy was near desperation! No matter how hard the pup tried, he just couldn't break free…and he wanted with all his core to think of a way— _any_ way— to rescue his friends!

Suddenly, however, Danny was startled out of his funk and thoughts when he heard a slight noise. He hurriedly looked to the front and then to his right. Plasmius's head was still down, so he couldn't have caused that slight… _metallic_ …

Now irritated with where that sound must have come from, Danny quickly jerked his head to his left. He immediately frowned when Skulker was looking back at him!

But then, the hunter whispered, "Whelp…"

At first, Danny turned his head away from the ghost. He was already beating himself up decently enough without the jerk throwing in even more jabs!

Skulker sniffed the air a bit before he persisted with a slightly raised voice, "Psst, whelp!"

He knew that he could say that slightly louder because he was certain that the she-spider hadn't returned from wherever she had gone yet. Still, he had to be careful since she had snuck up on him more often than he wanted to admit!

Danny was now irked in spite of still hurting and feeling as if his head was in a blender set on 'mush'.

Still, he steeled himself, twisted his head back to the ghost and hissed, "Just what are you trying to do, Skulker? Get Ĉasista's attention enough for her to see that I've sorta recovered from her last attack? Well, I can do that without you butting in, jerk!"

The boy was about to make that point by opening his mouth and getting ready to yell out when Skulker almost yelled out himself, "No!" He then cleared his voice and added, "I mean, I am not trying to get anyone's attention…but, uh, yours."

"Oh, really?" Danny sarcastically retorted, "It's way too late for any kind of a 'friendly' visit — _every one of them_!"

Skulker frowned. He knew that the boy was referring to their last two encounters, which, of course, were far from being…hospitable. Still, the cyborg wasn't about to have a battle of words with the whelp because time was too crucial…

The Hunter cut to the chase and replied, "I did not try to get your attention to trade insults —"

But the young half-ghost rudely cut him off, "Oh, sure, since you'd rather throw more _physical_ insults at me if you could right now!"

Skulker gritted his teeth and hissed, "Why are you and Plasmius so stubborn? All —"

Danny's ghostly green eyes flared as he hotly cut him off again, "Don't. Ever. Compare him with me. Again. Ever! But, heck, why should it bother me? All I can expect is insults from you —and Plasmius! Darn! I don't even know why I'm even talking to you! You're making my headache worse, so just leave me alone!"

Skulker harrumphed in a mixture of irritation and frustration…but then, he paused in thought. How could he not have expected less than being rejected by the boy —justifiably so —when he hadn't given any thought to the boy's…feelings before he spoke to him…He suddenly winced... Or when he compared him to Plasmius?

A tense silence cloaked the ghost. But he wasn't a patient hunter for just any reason.

Finally, he softly whispered, "In spite of your…uh, reasonable reactions to our, uh, _my_ recent insults —all of them —there is some information you might find…interesting. And if you do not desire to listen to _me_ , then listen to the _words_ I say which might…help you get your friends out of here."

Danny reflexively turned his head to the ghost with confusion hugging his face…Did he hear that right? Was Skulker sort of…apologizing…and how did he know what was on his mind, much less offering to actually _help_ him? And just how could he even do that when he was just as much in a fix as he?

Though part of him wanted to immediately shut him off —the part that was still hurting from all of that betrayal, injury, and resultant loss of a friendship with him that once seemed possible—the other part—the one that wanted to find _any_ way to help his friends —wanted to at least call for a truce.

Even so, Danny couldn't help but still be bitter as he tersely replied, "Though I can't imagine that whatever you say would ever help me…I'm listening."

The boy's words stung the older ghost. And it gnawed at his core for a reason he couldn't recognize, something that was written on the core or heart of every sentient creature: and that was knowing right from wrong. And he had badly wronged the boy.

Nevertheless, the hunter didn't completely understand that. He was just laying bets that once the Ghost Boy had rescued his friends, he would…give in to his 'hero complex'...and feel compelled to help even his enemies. Yet, that tug inside his core told him that thinking that the boy would help his enemies just to satisfy an obsession was …wrong, because he just knew the boy was more than that…

Rejecting that uncomfortable thought, Skulker indignantly replied, "First of all, whelp, you should know that your male little helper…"

"You mean Tucker," Danny said with tight lips, still irritated.

"Yes, I mean Tucker!" Skulker snapped. "Will you let me finish?! We have to take advantage of the fact that that evil creature is not in this area for the moment which might vanish anytime!"

"She's not here?" Danny almost gasped. "How do you—"

But the boy stifled himself when he noticed the Hunter's smirk. Of course. Skulker could still smell!

"Alright," Danny conceded, instantly biting his lip to make himself listen. After all, he didn't want to admit that Skulker had a point.

Skulker sighed before he continued, "As I was saying, it is important for you to know that Tucker has been able to escape…"

"He escaped?!" Danny gasped in both excitement and renewed fear for his friend before wincing when his not-healed core constricted slightly. "Then he must have been able to phase through!" He furrowed his brow in puzzlement and then hurriedly blurted out, "But then, why couldn't Sam phase through? So how did he and where did he —"

Skulker interrupted him with a huff, "You said I could finish, whelp! I was getting to that if you will just let me finish!"

The hunter was exasperated at the déjà vu moment. The whelp was a lot like Plasmius…But then, part of him instantly denied it at practically the same time…Still, he knew he had to carefully pushed on.

"He said he was going to find some help…But, I am not certain where Tucker will find that 'help' he said he was going to get. But at least I know that he is somewhere outside of this lair."

Danny heard the beat of his heart pummeling his ears. Maybe that was where Ĉasista was at this moment: _outside_ _discovering and then destroying his best friend!_ But he made himself listen to the ghost with the hope that the robotic ghost could tell him how long ago his friend had escaped…And he was not to be disappointed.

In the meantime, Skulker had instantly smelled that the whelp's anxiety and fear levels increased. Nevertheless, he steeled himself and threw out any…sympathetic emotion that began to crop up as he continued, "I told you this so that you will not search the ĉerko—"

"Ĉerko?" Danny interrupted in suspicion.

Skulker rolled his robotic eyes and said, "'Ĉerko' is Esperanto for 'cocoon'. That is what Ĉasista calls that…pouch that we are all trapped in."

"Oh, okay, go on," Danny dryly replied.

Skulker frowned in slight irritation but continued, "As I was saying, you should not search the **ĉerko** to my left, as that was the one which had contained your human male friend. And to answer your question as to how he had escaped, I still do not understand it because he could not phase through his ĉerko as I would have expected. Still, he did escape and was clever enough to mask his escape, too. He left his red headcover behind so that it still appears that he's still there so that Ĉasista would not suspect his absence. He has been gone for over two hours, which was long before Ĉasista recently left."

Though Danny was secretly relieved that Tucker might be okay, he still frowned in suspicion. He narrowed one of his eyes and studied the ghost. Was Skulker on the level? And what was he getting at?

So, he asked, "Why should I believe you? And, why even tell me all of this unless you want to use me for some sneaky plan to escape just to leave me and my friends behind?"

Skulker didn't want to admit that the boy's words were as darts to his core. And suddenly, he was also upset that the whelp would still think he was a _dishonest_ ghost.

Dishonest.

The word might as well have been a dagger thrown right between his robotic eyes! He couldn't even rationalize that he was honest like that old adage of 'honor between thieves' inferred. He was only honest with his friends, and not his enemies. He was fine with that…

But then, he frowned at his next thought. No. He had lied to his friend Vlad not too long ago. And he was never completely honest even with Ember…

All of the sudden, something dawned on the older ghost that had not been able to have the floor of his mind until this moment:

Like it or not, a great hunter _always_ admitted the truth, like whether he had missed his prey or bagged one with less skill…Because…honesty was a mark of a decent being—whether ghost or human…He could be honest from now on, right?

But then, Skulker paused. How could he be honest from 'now on' with Danny Phantom— _and Vlad_?

The hunter's anger suddenly flared. He would worry about that when the time came because right now, he wanted the whelp…to believe him! But was he too prideful to admit that?

Suddenly, Skulker gave into his impulse; but this impulse was different from all of those he had had in the past, because for the first time in his after-life, this one was driven by a…desire to help the whelp rather than save his _own_ hide.

Finally, the Hunter growled out, "I do not care if you do or do not believe me, whelp! If you still bear such distrust of me, then do not believe me again when I tell you that you have a high probability of escaping at this moment because Ĉasista unknowingly damaged your ĉerko enough that you might be able to rip through it with your wulf claws."

Danny narrowed his eyes in suspicion once again. Why was the ghost telling him that? And why was he helping him? Besides…

The boy finally answered in a huff, "Just so you know, I've been trying to use them; but for some reason, I can't get them to come forth!"

"That's because these ĉerkos negate our powers," Skulker said at first. But when the cyborg saw that the boy's face scrunched up in irritation and confusion and was probably about to say something sarcastic, he hurriedly cut him off, "I should say that they negate our _ghostly_ powers, which also means you cannot return to your human side, either—not that it would matter anyways."

Danny's forehead furrowed with more confusion before he grumpily replied, "What do you mean—"

Once again, the hunter cut the boy off and said, "Like I said, we can't use our _ghostly_ powers. But your claws might work if you first surround your hands with that, uh, special energy that you share with your friends...the one that, uh, Tucker used to escape…"

This time, Danny's eyes widened in surprise. Just what did Skulker mean by that? True, his friends and he shared telepathic energy…And Sam had special telekinetic energy….But that was all…wasn't it? Pausing and reflecting on what the ghost said, Danny narrowed his eyes in thought.…Just how _did_ Tucker escape, then, when the Hunter had said that Tucker _hadn't_ been able to phase through like he should have been? Skulker hadn't told him yet! Well, okay, he really had kept interrupting him up until now. But, it couldn't have been with telepathic energy, could it?

Finally, any anger or hurt over the ghost sloughed off. The young hybrid suddenly had to know what Skulker was talking about. So, he said more softly this time, "Uh, how did you know that Tucker used that, er, 'special energy' that I don't know anything about?"

Skulker privately smirked, _"Finally! The whelp is coming around, just like I knew he would!"_

But then, the hunter paused…Now that he finally got the boy to really listen, he still had to convince him about all of this. And that meant he would have to…swallow his pride a bit…

Though he wasn't all in about that, Skulker nevertheless replied, "Ahem…Though I can never boast again that I am the Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter because of the embarrassing situation I am in, you should never forget, Danny Phantom, that I am still a great hunter! Somehow, Tucker had been able to retrieve an anti-ectoplasmic-coated knife probably from one of his pockets…But when it didn't—"

"But anti-ectoplasm isn't ghost energy!" Danny interrupted.

This time, Skulker scowled and snapped, "Really, whelp! You are wasting the short time we do not really have! Let me finish!"

Danny bit his lower lip and conceded, "Sorry. Go on."

Skulker didn't give himself the pleasure of having another hybrid shut up and let him have the floor. Instead, he seriously continued, "As I was saying, when Tucker tried to cut through the webbing with his knife, he failed to…I could smell his frustration and desperation….But then, suddenly, his scent changed to determination, and the next thing I knew, Tucker was finally cutting through the webbing. At first, I did not understand; but then, when I thought about it, I was sure that I had smelled _Spectre_ energy surrounding him at the same time!...And I know that you _cannot_ deny that you and your friends are friends of the Spectre…Exactly how Tucker acquired Spectre energy is beyond me, but I am certain it had to be some kind of spirit and not ghost energy he was using because he would not have been able to cut himself free with a human knife only coated with anti-ectoplasmic energy because most anti-ectoplasmic energy does not work on spirits. However, if your friend indeed had some Spectre energy—which is spirit energy— that would explain why he could not have phased through his ĉerko in the first place. He needed to use that spirit energy to counter the spirit energy in Ĉasista's webbing in order to rip through it with his knife."

Anticipating that the boy would try to deny what he just said, the robot narrowed his eyes and puckered his face in near-threat as he added, "And I am certain beyond a doubt that the Spectre energy came from _within_ your friend and not from another device that he wouldn't have been able to get to, much less hold at the same time as that knife!"

Danny didn't answer the ghost right away. He was wrestling with the news…And though he was still suspicious and didn't quite believe the Hunter, he couldn't help but wonder if what Skulker had said was true, especially since Tucker must not have been able to get another PDA from the future, or else, he would have used it…And then, there was that other thing: just how did Skulker know that they were friends of the Spectre?

" _Because he must have been there, somewhere, uh, when, all that stuff happened with the Spectre defeating Plasmius!"_ he concluded with a gulp.

He instantly threw those thoughts away and shifted back to what was more important for the moment.

" _Well, I have to admit that none of my ghostly powers have worked so far,"_ the young hybrid admitted only to himself. _"And that must be because these bindings are made of spirit energy…like Skulker said."_ But then, he startled a little at his next thought, _"So, maybe Skulker might be telling the truth… Would he lie that Tucker couldn't phase through his cocoon-thing like a human should be able to do…unless Tucker_ _ **couldn't**_ _because he has Spectre energy? Maybe that's why Sam couldn't escape, either…"_

The boy's heart suddenly constricted when he thought about his girl and that awful sense that she was still very injured! Now fearful and desperate, his mind began to race as fast as it could even when he was still hurting. " _That must be it, because if Sam could have phased through these bindings, she would have! But maybe she couldn't for the same reason that Tucker couldn't, but was it because of their telepathic ability? Somehow, I don't think so…"_

Danny's eyes narrowed and shifted side-to-side as he tried to sort it out. But then, he slowly came to accept what Skulker had hinted about. " _Wait a minute. Sam can use Spectre energy that's different than telepathy: her telekinetic power! So, is it possible that Tucker might have been able to use some kind of Spectre energy that's not telepathy? Then he would have had to do something different to get it to help him escape._ " He brightened with hope with his next thought, _" So…if Sam can use Spectre energy different from telepathy, and maybe Tucker can now, too…Can maybe I also use it?!"_

Now excited about the possibility, the boy said with more determination, _"Well, Fenton, there's only one way to find out!"_

Danny then closed his eyes and began to concentrate on not only trying to bring up any Spectre energy he might have besides telepathy and concentrate on focusing it only on his hands…

But after several moments of grunting in concentration, he stopped. He couldn't do it!

In the meanwhile, Skulker, who had been watching and smelling the youth, could already tell that the boy was trying to do something, well, at least, he hoped that!

But then, the Hunter frowned when the boy suddenly stopped and admitted out loud in defeat, "I-I can't do it!"

"You are not going to accept that option, are you, whelp?" Skulker asked in a mixture of encouragement and challenge.

Danny sighed, but didn't look at the ghost. It wasn't because he was mad at the ghost's comment, he just didn't know how to reach his Spectre energy!

The young hybrid searched his mind, when he smirked slightly, _"You're going about this the wrong way, Fenton!"_

The teen took in a long, deep breath and exhaled slowly. Now more determined, he made himself relax! He knew he needed to let the channel to any Spectre he hoped he had open on its own—just like he did for his telepathic power, and really, like he did for his other powers!

"Whelp?"

Danny heard Skulker call, but he purposely ignored him as he pressed on with his task. He struggled to control his breathing with the mental effort to form that channel.

Finally, the young hybrid could feel a strange, _even warm_ , sensation creep up from out of his core and scurry to his hands! In a split second, he could feel the warmth surrounding his hands; but at the same time, he felt his strength waning, his core's aching increase and his dizziness begin to return. But a heartbeat later, he grunted in effort and determination to maintain this power.

Skulker, meanwhile, had thought the boy must have not believed him after all because he was no longer even looking at him, much less talking to him. The hunter couldn't help but feel defeated by it all.

His last hope was gone…

But then, suddenly, the cyborg's eyebrows arched and his eyes widened when he saw patches of glowing red AND neon green energy leaking through the minute parts of the webbing making up the whelp's ĉerko where Ĉasista's had damaged it! He had never seen the whelp conjure up that kind of power before.

 **And the glow was getting brighter!**

Skulker all but yelled in excitement, "Whelp?"

But Danny was struggling with his task, and so was too busy to answer him.

In the next instant, however, Skulker gasped in both surprise and triumph when he spied supercharged claws puncture through the pup's ĉerko! He couldn't miss that the claws were not only encased in neon green energy, but also that a vibrant red glow was both around and intertwined with that green energy in an arrangement similar to the layered colors making up a fire.

Not even a core-beat later, the Hunter could hear the webbing renting under the sharp pressure of Danny Phantom's wulf claws surrounded and enhanced by Spectre energy!

" _I never thought that the foul scent of Spectre energy would smell so sweet!"_ Skulker all but gushed to himself as he watched the boy emerge from his ĉerko as a butterfly from its cocoon!

Finally, the pup was free and already in the air and Skulker couldn't help but blurt out, "YES!"

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 **[1] Hope you still know that 'Kosmon' is Esperanto for 'Cosmos'.**

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 **A/N: So good to see that you made it down here! I sure hope this was worth the wait. I really love the banter between Danny and Skulker and thought it would be a good way to help Danny figure out a way to escape. Besides, I just love teasing Skulker when he can't admit his true feelings and all! Ahem. And I hope to update as soon as I can. Thank you for reading and please drop a line or two below to let me know your thoughts! It's great for your mental health—and mine!**


	28. Chapter 28 Desperate Actions

**A/N: Hiya, everybodee! I hope you had a great week. And lookey! Just to make your week even better, here's an update. You know the disclaimer: I don't any Danny Phantom characters, except the OCs and plot. See you at the end and enjoy the show!**

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Entanglement—Chapter 28—Desperate Actions

Though the pup was free, Skulker's grin, however, quickly fell when Danny grabbed at his throbbing, injured core and suddenly began to fall!

But as quickly as Danny lost flight, he partially regained it. But he was panting and having a hard time maintaining his flight.

Little did Skulker nor especially the boy know that Danny had been able to escape at a great cost to his remaining strength and power.

In fact, the half-ghost teen was so dizzy and drained at the moment that all he wanted to do was find a place to sit down. Not only that, but when he reflexively began to cradle his pounding head, he didn't realize until the last moment that he almost poked one of his eyes with his wulf claws! But after seeing those rapiers so up close and the strange green-encased-in-red glow around them that was already beginning to sputter out, a strong sense of urgency and danger pressed him to focus and act instead of rest.

The Ghost Boy quickly dug his wulf claws into the murky air and began to pull. But, even with his spirit power, he struggled to rent a hole into that area of the dimension.

Danny grunted and panted in both effort and determination as he put more strength that he really didn't have into it until he was finally able to tear open a fairly large hole in the dimension a couple of feet above his destroyed ĉerko.

Once again, that wasn't possible without costing him even more strength.

Nevertheless, only one pressing thought managed to eke out of his more hazed brain, _"Ĉasista might be back any minute! I-I've g-got to get everybody out of here!"_

But he really wasn't thinking nor even seeing clearly enough and so, he acted on instinct by starting to rescue whom he first saw: Skulker!

The boy hurriedly dug his wulf claws that were now barely cloaked with his green-and-red spirit energy into the Hunter's ĉerko.

Naturally, Skulker immediately objected, "Whelp! What are you doing? Forget about me! Get your own hide and the female out of here!"

Unfortunately for Skulker, when Danny heard 'female' he didn't immediately think about Sam. He thought about Ĉasista!

"Oh, no!" Danny blurted out in spite of his growing dizziness; and he increased his efforts to cut through the webbing surrounding the Ghost Hunter's cocoon. "I'd better hurry before that she-devil thing comes back!"

Skulker was about to object yet again when he suddenly hissed in pain! The whelp was slashing so rapidly and deeply that his spirit energy-enhanced wulf claws were puncturing or scraping his metallic skin!

"Whelp!" the ghost said more forcefully through his grunts of stinging pain, "Save your strength and go before you accidentally and thoroughly skewer me!"

Too late!

Skulker yelped as his robotic body shifted downward. He had been cut free just about the same time as he was pleading for the boy to stop.

But that was not all.

Instead of falling completely down to the floor of the lair, the hunter felt a hand grab one of his shoulders and jerk him _upward_ and toward the still-open portal that Danny had previously made!

Skulker frowned even as he strained to turn his head to glance at the boy who now had him in tow, even when it was obvious that the boy was struggling with the effort. But the hunter ghost wasn't going to let the boy save him that easily! Besides, he himself felt compelled to rescue Vlad! He tried to twist out of the boy's hold as he pushed the button to his rockets with the intention of steering his direction away from the portal and toward Vlad.

But suddenly, the hunter gulped with the realization: the control buttons! He instantly knew as he frantically continued to push as many buttons as he could that they had been clogged or stuck by webbing! And that also meant his emergency-reject buttons were also glued in place!

Now helpless as he continued upward in tow, Skulker gritted his teeth and growled in bravado, "Whelp! I will not let you put me in a position of being obligated to you! Let go of me and get to rescuing your female friend!"

But Danny was concentrating so hard to reach the portal that he didn't really hear the ghost.

"Did you not hear me, Danny?" the ghost almost pleaded this time, his core suddenly stricken with fear and confusion about how irrationally the boy was acting.

He knew he wasn't worth saving ahead of the human girl!

The robot ghost desperately yelled, "Listen to me, Danny! SAM needs you! Forget about me and get to Sam! And hurry because I see that the portal is closing!"

Hearing those words from Skulker of all beings finally jolted some sense into Danny's addled but desperate mind.

"Sam!" Danny finally yelled in comprehension as he reflexively dropped Skulker—who dutifully plunged downward!

But then, Danny gasped and dove downward, caught the ghost, and then started to retrace his flight path to the makeshift portal.

"No! No! No!" Skulker protested, even as he was now being practically catapulted upward from the point that Danny had caught him, which in effect, he was because Danny had slung him the rest of the way up and through the portal as if Skulker had been a ball being tossed up just to see how high it could be thrown.

Any other objection to Danny's actions was not audible as the Ghost Hunter disappeared through the portal.

Danny tried to ignore his mounting dizziness and blurred vision. He concentrated on drawing out from his inner strength as he pulled himself into a back dive away from the portal, all the while mentally yelling, _"Sam! SAM! Where are you?"_

He knew he didn't know where to begin the search for his girl in the pitch black, but he still frantically peered through the murkiness in spite of his ghostly vision not being able to do that.

Then, the teen ghost's dizziness began to clear. He knew he had finally reached that well of energy he called his 'inner strength' not only because he was thinking straighter, but he could feel the rush that his power was returning. But then, he frowned because he could tell that that rush was much slower and really, weaker, than usual. But he had no time to think about it when he spied a dull light below and to his right! He instinctively dove down to it.

A few moments later, he spied not Sam as he hoped, but Vlad! And just beyond him, he could barely make out the dull aura of Evil Dan glimmering above his ĉerko! At least they were still where they had been when Ĉasista had shown them to him a while ago. And each of them looked very drained and weak. He could not know that, like him, they still hadn't recovered from Ĉasista's last attack on their cores.

But where was his Sam?

" _Skulker didn't actually say where she was, even when I hate to think she got sucked into this mess in the first place,"_ he fretted only to himself.

The boy mentally called to her again.

No answer.

Now upset and desperate, Danny then mentally yelled, " _SAM! Where are you?"_

Again, no answer.

Almost in a panic, he momentarily forgot where he was and shouted, "Sam! Tell me where you are!"

The intensity of his voice startled the two other older ghosts.

Danny was about to yell again when he heard Vlad weakly call out to him, "Daniel! What are you doing? Get out of here before Ĉasista comes back!"

Danny practically growled back, "Why is everyone trying to tell me what to do? That's my parents' job!"

"Witty as a wet fish as usual, Daniel," Vlad dryly retorted before coughing. "Very well, continue to be the ignorant boy with a hero complex!"

This time, Danny had a hard time staying off the sudden rush of all of those painful memories about the older hybrid. And like being pummeled by a landslide or a soldier reliving his combat nightmares, Danny's strained mind was suddenly churning in turmoil like it had been right after his ordeal with the older hybrid. All he wanted to do at the moment was make the man pay for all of the sadistic things he had done to him—especially when Vlad was literally a sitting duck and ripe for the picking! But at almost the same time, his true self countered all of those revengeful feelings and snuffed out that painful landslide of memories before it would snuff out all the good he ever did and always wanted to do.

"Look, Plasmius," Danny growled back through gritted teeth, his voice echoing enough for all of them to hear. "I don't care what you think of me and I definitely want to 'get out of here' and far away from at least you. But I'm not going to leave without Sam—and…"

The boy fell short of saying what he really wanted to say, which was, _"..And even you and the evil jerk,"_ but he said instead, "…so I have to find her. She's got to be here somewhere!"

Danny darted quickly by Plasmius and toward Evil Dan as Vlad watched him go. In some ways, the older hybrid's core sank when the boy passed him by.

As the boy approached Evil Dan, he unconsciously slowed down as more memories of his nearly becoming his evil-self _too many times_ griped his mind and tormented him. And yet again, a few moments later he felt something deep inside of him pull him out of the quagmire, as if a truly good friend had tied a rope around his waist and pulled him out.

"Well, dweeb..."

Evil Dan's haughty voice fully penetrated and dispelled the boy's current thoughts as it continued, "Don't think that that I care one way or another whether you want to leave or hang around here like a dope!"

Underneath, however, the future Phantom was in his own mental struggle. He owed his after-life to his younger-self whether he wanted to admit it or not….And that meant that he should try to repay the favor and at least let him know where his silly human puppy love was—even when he didn't want to!

In the meantime, Danny wanted to punch the future ghost right in the face now that he had the perfect chance, especially when there wouldn't be any painful return blows!

Still, the boy managed to swallow the impulse down and yet sarcastically replied, "If it means I can hang around long enough to have target practice with a hanging turkey like you, then I'm in! But then again, I promised my girl that I wouldn't purposely hurt animals, especially those keeping me from finding her!"

Evil Dan actually chuckled as the boy glided past him, "You're getting a bit more interesting to talk to as you get older, Danny. Too bad we'll never get the time for another round."

Danny ignored him as he tried to peer through the thick murky atmosphere past the weak light emanating from the future Phantom's aura. He had already noticed that the two older dweebs seemed to have been placed in essentially a straight line. Maybe Sam was in the 'line' somewhere. Even as he searched, the thought never left him: the boy would never admit to Evil Dan or Vlad that he would also be rescuing _them_ once he had made sure that Sam was safe.

The teen's heart leaped when he spied the hardly noticeable outline of a much smaller ĉerko a few feet to the right of Evil Dan's own cocoon!

" _SAM!"_ he mentally screamed as he tried to increase his speed—and suddenly grunted in pain at the effort.

The wicked spider had really hurt him!

But he forgot his physical pain as he pushed toward her, only to have another pain grasp his heart when he saw her.

Sam's head was completely down and he couldn't see her face! She was unconscious!

"Sam!" he breathed out in fear and dread as he retracted his wulf claws before he gently lifted her head, only to gasp when he saw blood coming from out of her nose and down the sides of her cheeks just below where her ears were!

"No!" he bemoaned, trying in vain to will forward his healing power that was no longer there even as he gently cupped her listless head.

He pulled his eyes upward in disbelief and grief before he gasped when he perchance saw that the portal he had trouble carving out of the atmosphere was…

"Oh, no! It's gone!" he erupted in horror.

 _"Hurry!"_ he commanded himself as he willed out his wulf claws with the intention of opening another portal. But then, he anxiously gasped when he could plainly see that his spirit power was no longer coating his wulf claws!

The boy struggled to reignite his spirit power even when that effort was really hurting his damaged core!

Suddenly, Danny felt a firm thud hit him squarely in the back before he was violently jerked back and away from Sam!

"NO!" he yelled in a combination of alarm, anger and fear. He instantly knew that his time had run out:

 _Ĉasista was back!_

Nevertheless, the boy reflexively pulled hard and to the left and then zig-zagged to the right, trying to jerk himself away from what he could only guess was webbing sticking to him that almost certainly in a moment would be a conduit for all that electrical pain he had received earlier from the spider.

As the boy struggled to break free, he heard an angry growl from behind, "She would have acted sooner if she did not have more precious cargo to secure! Surrender, worm!"

But Danny was determined to fight—even if it meant that she might just kill him right here and now. He continued to resist being pulled backward by the webbing, even as he desperately tried to muster his spirit energy.

But when it was obvious that that spirit energy wouldn't come forth and more pain gripped at his core from the effort, he twisted back around enough to attempt to slice through the webbing with one set of his wulf claws. Much to his chagrin, however, his wulf claws didn't make even a dent into the strong spirit-made webbing; but instead, actually became entangled in the webbing!

"Let go of me!" he demanded, as he now desperately attacked the webbing again with his other set of his wulf claws, only for them to also get entwined!

Ĉasista cackled before she hissed, "Let you go? Never, worm! Though she is amused how you were able to break free in the first place, she will never allow it again!"

She was through with this young trouble maker!

She was never satisfied that the power that she had robbed from him for her plans was much inferior to the ones she had taken from the other two ghosts. Neither had it pleased her that she had yet to discover any other power that might be more suitable to her brood. After all, she still hadn't been able to fully flay open his cold core!

It was time to rectify all of that!

Danny gulped when he saw the wall of Ĉasista's lair suddenly light up. He knew that he was about to get another painful wallop of the spider's electrical energy—which also might be his last!

Nevertheless, the teen ghost continued to struggle and try to will his spirit energy forward, even when at this point, he didn't think he could.

Little did he know, however, that his spirit energy had actually been building within his core and was about to erupt out of it as violently as a volcano spewing out its lava! And it was a good thing that it had because just when that energy had erupted, it shielded Danny's core from being mortally injured in the next moment.

"ARRGGHHH!" Danny screamed in pain as his body absorbed Ĉasista's angry electricity being driven in him.

Dizziness overwhelmed the Ghost Boy and he could no longer fight back. Almost immediately, he was being yanked back and into the waiting claws of Ĉasista! She quickly pinned his arms to his sides and raised him up high enough so that she could look him straight into his eyes.

"She will no longer toy with you, worm!" the spider-spirit hissed with poison eking from her fangs. "You will be the first of the three that Ĉasista will destroy, and then feed what is left of your energy to her treasures!"

The large she-creature was so angry at the audacity of the youngest ghost that her claws dug into his arms even as they were still pinning them to his sides.

Danny hissed in pain as his ghostly flesh was getting sliced by the claws. Now that he feared that his next breath would be his last, his survival mode went into overdrive. He frantically dug into his inner strength, only to gasp when he felt that reservoir of power was running on empty! He knew it was because his core was still damaged and he had no more healing powers. But, unbeknownst to him, he had at that same time conjured up and latched onto that _other_ power that was intertwined in his core…his spirit energy!

Scantly a core-beat later, a neon-green-surrounded-by-fiery-red bubble formed around only the boy as all eight of Ĉasista's eyes widened in disbelief!

But before the evil spirit could react, that bubble burst outward, her claws were violently shoved away from the young hybrid's arms, and Danny was free!

The effort, however, completely drained the level-eight teen ghost and he immediately fell to the floor of Ĉasista's lair and lay still from exhaustion. But he didn't turn into his human form because he was still in the Ghost Zone.

Meanwhile, Plasmius and Evil Dan merely watched the scene in complete helplessness. Even when they knew that their destruction would soon follow the teen's, even they wouldn't wish such a fate on Danny.

Ĉasista screamed in rage at being foiled yet again by the young pest! All she wanted to do was get to the bottom of his power—even if she damaged it in the process. She was done with this inferior creature! She immediately pounced upon the helpless boy and pinned him down with two of her legs. She raised one of her forelegs over her head, poised and ready to impale the boy's core in the next moment.

Danny gasped and tried to break free, but he was too weak!

Suddenly, however, Ĉasista's entire lair began to shake! Chunks of dried webbing that once made up the roof of her abode rained down mostly on her, though some smaller pieces just brushed past Sam, Evil Dan and Vlad.

Fortunately, Danny was shielded by Ĉasista's body as large chunks of dried webbing thudded next to him.

Ĉasista jerked her head and all eight of her eyes rapidly jerked in all directions, trying to locate the source of this assault on her abode! In her haste, she shifted her weight in all directions as well, and inadvertently let Danny go.

Danny barely avoided being stomped on by the large spider and tried to take flight, only to quickly discover that he couldn't. It also didn't help that that effort only shot more pain through his overtaxed core.

In the very next moment, all of the she-spirit's eyes widened and Evil Dan and Plasmius hitched in their own gasps when the entire 'roof' of Ĉasista's lair evaporated within a thick, glowing purple haze.

Danny, however, could not see what was happening even if he wanted to because he was still partially under the spider. Not only that, but he was so drained that his vision was very blurry and it was all that he could do but remain conscious.

The other two ghosts looked upward. But all they could still see was that glowing violet cloud which then began to dissipate. And now that they were exposed to the outside atmosphere, they felt a rush of fresh air whistle through the musky abode.

But then, their eyes never deviating from the sky, they all gasped in shock!

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 **A/N: Well, gang, I hope this chapter scratched your itch, satisfied your sweet tooth, gave you warm fuzzies, tickled your funny bone—no, not that one—ahem, well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please scratch my itch, satisfy my sweet tooth and give me warm fuzzies—and I will also take tickling my funny bone—by sending me a review! Thanks for reading. Until next time.**


	29. Chapter 29 The Human Spirit

**A/N: Gosh! The last time we had tuned into what was happening to Tucker was way back in Chapter 20! Wow, that long? But now, it's time to see what has been happening to him. But before we do, remember that when we did last see Tucker, Sam was still alert and hadn't been mentally attacked and severely injured by Ĉasista yet. So, here is a quick summary of where we left Tucker:**

 **As you recall, Tucker had been grabbed by several Angeli and was being tossed about like a beach ball before he was pulled away from the group by one particular Angelus…So, let's tune into the episode from Chapter 20, shall we?...**

 **Tucker struggled hard to free himself from the strong arms holding his upper arms even as he could tell he was being lifted up once again. Suddenly, he loudly yelled in alarm and distress when he could feel pain shooting down his left shoulder and back because this _Angelus_ actually bit into his shoulder!**

 ** _"TUCKER!"_** **the boy heard in his mind even when he was panting in pain and felt the warm wetness bathing his shoulder.**

 **Tucker had instantly known it was Sam and she must have sensed that he was in danger. But he couldn't answer her right now, even when she telepathically added, _"Hang in there, Tucker! I'm gonna try to help!"_**

 **However, in the next instant, the same Angelus who had bit Tucker dropped the boy harshly to the ground below, which had been a significant height.**

 **Though the fall was steep, the ground that Tucker had fallen upon was soft enough that he was not further harmed.**

 **But the teen couldn't have known that he wasn't dropped just because the Angelus was repulsed by the boy's taste since he wasn't a human ghost. More importantly, the Angelus was startled by the _voice_ that he had _also mentally heard_ _at the same time_ as the human boy. **

**Tucker groaned in pain as he grabbed his injured shoulder, rolled over and looked up. He gasped in shock and didn't realize that he had reflexively shouted both audibly and mentally,**

 ** _"Angelus-alvus!"_** **[1]**

 **But Tucker also frowned in confusion when he heard a _male_ voice say to his mind almost at the same time, _"Ad Femina?!_ " [2]**

 **Almost immediately after that, however, Tucker's _mind_ was in tremendous pain and he slumped fully into the ground, completely senseless and helpless among the Angeli...**

 **Now, let's tune into what's happening to Tucker, who was unconscious at the end of Chapter 20. But remember, I don't own the Danny Phantom characters, but do own this story and the original character! Enjoy the show!**

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Entanglement—Chapter 29—The Human Spirit

What was once complete and utter blackness began to lighten a little, until it morphed into bands of different shades of black or gray, which jumped and shook vertically as if one was viewing an unfocused television screen of old. But it also seemed as if that television was short-circuiting, for an electrical kind of pain was shooting through Tucker's head before it ended up throbbing somewhere below him.

Tucker moaned with the mounting pain as he struggled to come back to reality and, therefore, barely opened his eyes. But then, he started to drift back into the blackness.

But not for long, for he felt something grab his shoulders—which intensified the pain radiating down his left arm—and shake him roughly before he heard muffled, unintelligible sounds.

At this point, Tucker couldn't comprehend, much less remember, that Angelus-alvus had bitten him in his left shoulder and that he had not only fainted from that injury, but also from the shock sent through his brain from both Sam and Danny through their telepathic link when _they_ had been mentally attacked by Ĉasista. Nor did he know that he had been unconscious for over an hour-and-a-half!

Instead, the teen felt the weight of his eyelids fall down and close and he moaned once more, feeling as if he was going to be part of those shifting bands of black and gray again.

Yet again, however, he was vaguely aware that his upper body was being shaken roughly—which included more pain— though this time, those sounds he had heard that accompanied his shaking were more audible, but, unfortunately, still unintelligible. And he had no idea that he had only become partially conscious after the Angelus's latest two tries to stir him, since the Angelus had already failed in trying to wake him several times almost immediately after he had fallen unconscious.

In addition, Tucker couldn't know that it wasn't the calm, level-headed _Angelus-alvus_ who was now hunched over him and trying to rouse him. The spirit had changed into a very anxious _Angelus-anxitudo_ **[3]** several moments after Tucker had fainted. The Angelus's mind was so controlled by his desperation that he had no idea that what he had been doing and was doing to the boy right now was not actually helping.

And as a result, Tucker fell into unconsciousness again.

The restless winged spirit, whose floor-length gown was no longer painted in various shades of blue, but in different shades of purple and whose skin and wings were now drenched in deep purple, didn't know why he had been able to reconnect with _Ad Femina_ so suddenly and unexpectedly soon after he had bitten this human over an hour-and-a-half ago. Yet, he also had a strange feeling that this human was the unlikely conduit of that connection—and even the disconnection!

Angelus-anxitudo's mind was very fixed on reconnecting to _Ad Femina_ now that the search for her had not only been mysteriously opened again but was actually narrowed. In fact, he was so anxious to reconnect with her, that he had been trying to rouse Tucker too roughly.

And during those attempts, the irrational spirit had not only shaken him again and again, but had also continued to yelled out to him in his native tongue—Latin—each time:

"Surge, qui hominum! Quid est quod audivi Ad Femina in animo tantum modo? Tu scis sui et si sic, quomodo?" **[4]**

Yet again, when he failed to waken the boy, the winged spirit became desperate.

He shook the still-injured boy harder and practically screamed in Latin, "Ad Femina! Ad Femina! How is it that I heard the Female for the first time after such a lapse in time, only to suddenly detect her once you had come and then to lose her again shortly thereafter?!"

Though the Angelus was still wild with anxiety and desperation, he quickly let go of the boy when Tucker finally began to rouse. The spirit's reddened eyes twitched anxiously as he looked upon him.

The human groaned even louder when all of that rough treatment had re-opened his shoulder wound—which, ironically, was why he finally had stirred. Tucker frowned when he was more aware of his shirt being wet and the skin under it was stinging. But in the next moment, he reflexively brought his uninjured arm up to his still-throbbing head and winced when he cradled it.

Confused on how he could be in so much pain, the teen slowly cracked his eyes open, only to yell out in fright when he spied two unfriendly red glowing eyes locked onto his eyes and seemingly boring holes into them!

But when the boy tried to pull away from those blood-thirsty eyes, which were coming closer, he scrunched his eyes closed and groaned when the pain he was feeling increased and actually kept him from moving!

Tucker immediately stopped trying to move, hoping for the pain to subside before he would try again. Nevertheless, the pain and his fright actually helped his foggy mind to rapidly clear.

But he gasped and opened his eyes as fast as he could when he felt pain shoot through his left shoulder after the spirit had grabbed his shoulders again in anticipation of having to shake him awake once more. He could now make out the Angelus's face and finally knew where he was.

Tucker gasped in alarm and pain, "A-Ah, uh, m-mister, uh, spirit dude, please stop!"

The boy tried to move away again, but couldn't because not only had the spirit grabbed his shoulder in anticipation of shaking him again, but he also couldn't move his left arm!

Still, he blurted out in a panic this time, "P-Please! Y-You're hurting me! I-I didn't mean to get you mad at me, but I, uh, really didn't know how else I could, uhm, get to you, but somehow, like everything else that's been happening to me lately, things haven't exactly gone right!"

He hissed when all he could feel was the spirit's hold on his injured shoulder increase! And not wanting to faint again, he swallowed it down as best he could and made himself continue, "B-But I-I r-really had no other choice, you see, b-because…"

But the Angelus suddenly shoved his face into Tucker's and not knowing he was still speaking in Latin, demanded in a desperate voice, "Ad Femina! Where is Ad Femina?! You must know something of her or else I would not have heard her so clearly not too long ago!"

At this point, it had never occurred to the winged spirit to actually ask the boy why or even _how_ he had managed to get in here in the first place! True, it wasn't unusual for the Guardian to give the Angeli things she no longer wanted. But a _live_ human? Never! Still, Angelus- _anxitudo_ 's emotions were too much on fire to think about that right now.

In the meantime, Tucker could not understand what the Angelus was saying because he, of course, didn't know Latin! But he could certainly tell by the spirit's appearance, behavior and tone of voice that he was upset.

Now the Angelus was nearly mad with anxiety because the boy wasn't answering him! And he began to get angry. He had to know where that Female who haunted his thoughts so much was!

Why didn't this small creature answer him?

Yet again, just as his colors changed to the angry Angelus-iratus **[5]—** with his gown in various shades of red and his wings and skin pink—he grasped Tucker's shoulders more firmly, and in his apprehension, dug his fingernails into the boy's flesh.

Tucker screamed out as the electrical pain shot through him. Almost immediately, his vision began to dim once more; and he could barely hear and definitely not comprehend the Latin being thrown at him:

"What have you done to the Female, you despicable creature?"

In his agitation, the Angelus exerted even more pressure on Tucker's wounded arm, which sent the boy's head in a spin.

As tears began to sprout from his eyes in reaction to the pain, Tucker still managed to beg in a halting voice, "P-Please, s-stop! Y-You a-are hurting me and I-I don't know why 'cause I-I don't understand what you're saying or what you want!"

Then, as if one of the lightning bolts shooting across the Realm of Chaos' sky had charged downward and struck him, the Angelus was suddenly aware of the complete helplessness and pain he could see in the human's eyes…In fact, the winged spirit's eyes widened and he let go of the boy yet again when that look looked almost the same as the one he had seen in the eyes of the _iuvenes humano idolon_ **[6]** he had attacked in that foreign realm not too long ago…

And as if the light from that same imaginary lightning bolt had flooded the spirit's mind, the spirit suddenly cradled his own head and plopped down next to the boy.

Now that Tucker was free once more, he turned to his uninjured side, curled up into a ball and whimpered in fright and the lingering pain. He didn't know why the spirit had let him go, but at least he wasn't in tremendous pain anymore—though in some ways, it was enough pain that he wish he had fainted instead…

In the meanwhile, that sudden epiphany had taken some time to happen to the Angelus because his emotions were so out of control. But, the real reason why the Angelus's eyes were unexpectedly opened was something that neither the spirit or the boy had realized…and that was when the winged creature had bitten Tucker's shoulder, their auras had briefly connected. And like it had been a slow virus, that connection finally registered in his spectral brain…He somehow _knew_ this boy…he had connected with him before… In fact, he had sensed a silent, but definite, male presence all along when Ad Femina's telepathic voice—followed by a foreign spirit power of some sort—had convinced him not to hurt that young ghost anymore! **[7]**

With all of this realization, the Angelus slowly melded back into his Angelus-alvus form. And his more rational side also came into focus. He winced when he was acutely aware that his emotions had been out-of-control again just moments earlier.

Suddenly, the winged spirit felt an unusual pressure and moisture in his eyes, something he had never quite experienced as intensely before. He paused and wrinkled his brow. He vaguely remembered feeling a similar, yet insignificant, sense of remorse in what seemed like eons ago—along with so many other fleeting emotions that seemed so useless and yet kept him a prisoner all at the same time. And until now, he had never felt remorseful for any specific reason like hurting this small, hapless creature. Nevertheless, he didn't fight the sensation; and moments later, red tears were flowing from his eyes and down his pale, smooth cheeks and dripped down to his blue gown. However, the tears didn't stain his gown. And, ironically, he did not change forms with this change in emotion…

Once again, Angelus-alvus's mind was clouded, but not as it was a few moments ago when his mind was held hostage to his anxiety and agitation…

But suddenly, the confusion only made him anxious again. After all, he had spent most of his existence being confused or controlled by his transitory emotions. Yet, he didn't want to be out-of-control again! Though, really, he hadn't any control for most of his existence until…he glanced at the quietly whimpering human before he finished his thought…until he had somehow encountered _Ad Femina_ and…this one!

The spirit's face contorted into a frown and he wiped his tears away because he didn't know how he should feel about all of this…

"Quare?" **[8]** he finally unconsciously uttered out loud, still speaking Latin and addressing Tucker. "Quid vis sic fœminas maribus, et hoc ad me?" **[9]**

Trying to ignore that his left arm was listless, Tucker groaned as he slowly pulled himself up to a sitting position. Though he was afraid to say anything at this point, he was even more afraid to remain quiet.

He sadly muttered, while trying to swallow down his pain, "I-I'm sorry, uh, s-sir. I-I wish I could understand you, but I can't, b-but…"

Before Tucker could finish his thought, however, he startled when the Angelus's face seemed to scowl.

But little did Tucker know was that Angelus-alvus had merely frowned more because at that point, he finally realized why the human hadn't answered his questions and was so scared: he had been speaking in his native tongue and this one was talking in human-speech!

The Angelus then repeated what he had just said in _English_ , "I said: Why would you and The Female…do this to me?"

"D-Do what?" Tucker sheepishly answered, feeling the dread of the question tighten around him because even though he now finally understood what the spirit had said, he didn't know what he meant! Still, he was more frightened not to try to guess what the spirit meant and he hesitantly added, "I-If it's about coming here, I-I—"

The question that the Angelus hadn't thought of asking yet now came into focus; and since he was now aware of it, and yet not satisfied that the boy hadn't answered his _first_ question, he edgily asked, "Yes, why did you come here?" Did the Guardian put you here to die even when you are not a ghost? And, you still have not told me why you and The Female attacked me!"

Tucker swallowed hard, especially when he really didn't know what the spirit was talking about because he, of course, had never attacked the Angelus, but the Angelus had attacked him! He knew he had to explain why he was here, but he didn't know how! And the second question made him mentally gasp because he already thought he was going to die in here even when the evil spider hadn't thrown him in here. And for that last question, he was completely clueless about. He didn't know whether any female—wait! Did the winged spirit mean the evil spider when he said 'the female'? Now the boy was very confused on what the spirit too close in front of him meant. Still, he knew he had to say _something_ soon!

The Angelus, meanwhile, was growing impatient since the human hadn't said anything yet. Still, he had a strange feeling about this one. But he grew irritated with himself for being distracted by his emotions yet again! He scowled and leaned closer to the boy.

When Tucker saw that it looked as if the Angelus was going to attack him again, he yelped in fear, "That, uh, Guardian-thing didn't throw me in here…though she did, uh, bring me to her lair. But I escaped and came here and…"

"You came here of your own choosing?" the spirit gasped in complete surprise as he reflexively splayed his wings briefly and immediately pulled slightly back and away from the frightened boy.

"Y-Yes…I-I came in through a hole, uh, because…"

The Angelus's eyes flared as he suddenly accused, "And are you here, then, to attack me again?"

After all, the spirit was convinced that Ad Femina was a powerful spirit. Perhaps this one was also a spirit disguised as a human!

"No!" Tucker denied in more fright. Though he didn't know how all of this was going to go down, he hoped to have caught the Angelus in a friendlier mood…but obviously, not!

Unconvinced, the spirit practically growled, "Then why did you and Ad Femina attack me the first time?"

"A-Ad F-Femina?" Tucker gulped in dread. Though he heard that phrase a lot, he still didn't understand whom the spirit was referring to.

"The Female!" the Angelus angrily replied in English.

Now in near panic, the teen could only think by the Angelus's agitation that he must be referring to _that_ bad female. He blurted out, "I'm not working for that creepy spider!"

"No!" the winged spirit hotly breathed out, growing more agitated. "The Female who attacked my mind in your human realm when I was a prisoner there! And you helped her attack me, too! Why?"

Though Tucker was in such pain and terror, he desperately searched his mind to try to make sense of what the Angelus had just said; and only one memory opened up in his brain. No. The spirit didn't mean…But since he didn't know what else to think, he blurted out, "Sam? Are you talking about Sam? Uh, the female Sam? And if you are, uh, we didn't mean to hurt you! We only wanted to stop you from killing the ghost you were attacking then because he is our friend! And now, the Guardian as you call that evil spider has him and Sam, er, Ad Femina, in her lair and is going to kill them!"

Angelus-alvus's eyes widened. Somehow, he knew that the human wasn't lying because he could _feel_ it was all true. He then anxiously asked, "Ad Femina is here and within the power of Ĉasista?"

"Yes, and so is Danny and some other ghosts and..." Tucker desperately began, only for the Angelus to interrupt him.

"But if Ĉasista has them, then they are all doomed! I do not know why you came here, then. My kin and I are also…prisoners here…we can do nothing!"

Tucker could feel new tears brimming not only because he was still in pain, but because of his dread. He desperately replied, " _You have to help_! I know from how you were in our world that you're very powerful! And…and as crazy as it sounds, I somehow _felt_ that you would help because…because you, me and Sam, er, Ad Femina, have some kind of connection, which, by the way, there's no time to explain about…But I know you would help because…because you are…grateful…for what she, uhm, I mean, _we_ did for you! And that you would do the right thing because of it!"

'Grateful'? And the 'Right Thing'? Those words and meanings were completely foreign to the spirit. Yet, at the same time, he knew, somehow, that those very sensations had been nagging at him…But instead of being comforted by them, it only threw him back into a state of confusion…which also made him angry when he was aware that he was going to have his control compromised yet again! But then, his confusing thoughts ebbed slightly for some reason.

Though the new look on the spirit's face worried him, Tucker had a strange feeling about this. He pressed on more boldly than he felt at the moment, "Look, uh, well, I don't know if you'll believe me, but, uhm, I can understand how you're feeling. I don't get how I was even able to get in here in spite of the odds, much less try to get any help from you…But I guess, somehow, I had it in myself to ditch any fear or logic because…I love my friends and I don't want to see them die if I could somehow help prevent that." He paused a moment before he added more to himself than to the Angelus, "Even…if...I'm only…human. So, at least I tried, even if…" He sniffed and continued, "Even if they're going to die anyways."

He then looked back at the Angelus and added almost demandingly, but more with dread, "So, you might as well bump me off and get it over with since Ĉasista was going to anyways!"

Tucker then unashamedly let the tears flow after that.

Angelus-alvus blinked several times at the boy in confusion yet again as he watched the tears run down the boy's cheek. Though he felt something odd in his core, the spirit instead suddenly grew angrier not only because of his continuing bewilderment, but also because of all the turmoil within his soul!

Tucker gulped with more alarm when he saw that the spirit was clearly upset. The spirit splayed his wings out and flapped downward, which sent him slightly into the air.

Tucker swallowed thickly. Now he had done it! He could feel that a volcano was about to erupt and that couldn't be good for him. Now, he wished he hadn't spoken at all because he just knew that anything else he could say right now would not calm the creature. The boy gasped when the spirit suddenly lit up in red energy and then, was transforming before his eyes like he had when he had attacked Danny a few weeks ago! Terror stabbed at the boy's heart from what this might mean, even when he knew all along that it was going to eventually happen.

Angelus-alvus was no longer clad in a flowing, long-sleeved, floor-length blue gown. Now, his Angelus body was clothed in a short-sleeve tunic that just covered his shoulders and fell and flared out several inches below his hips but well above his knees. That tunic, however, was covered by a heavier tunic made of metal. The short-sleeves of his metallic tunic protected the top of the Angelus's shoulders in mail armor that was designed to resemble short plumage. His torso was so tightly swathed in armor that it looked as if his tense, strong and well-defined abdominal muscles were visible and made of steel instead of spectral flesh. And that metal piece ended just below his waist and inter-meshed seamlessly to a very short skirt of armor layered similarly to that on his sleeves, only that the plumage was longer. A red cape was securely fastened to the metal tunic at his right shoulder and fell to well-past his knees; but it didn't interfere with his wings. Strong, thick, red battle sandals that laced up to mid-calf of each of his legs shod his feet _._ And his fire-color hair was now caught completely up under his red helmet.

The rest of him, which was his skin, wings and eyes, were also the same hue of red. But flames were spewing from his eyes! And he bore a fiery sword in one hand and a brilliant red shield in the other.

The boy could not know that he was looking at the most powerful and feared side of what was once the calm, rational Angelus-alvus: Angelus-bellator! **[10]**

The aura surrounding the newly-transformed Angelus was so bright that Tucker had to squint his eyes. But when his eyes had adjusted, they widened in more terror when he could see the spirit's scarlet, powerful arm muscles twitch in agitation before his wings suddenly burst into red flames!

Tucker just knew he was soon going to be toast—literally!

And then, jutting and aiming his flaming sword forward, the angered spirit swooped down upon the boy and grabbed him firmly!

Tucker screamed when the pain in his left arm increased ten-fold as the sword made contact and he just knew in the next few moments, it would all be finished!

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 **[1] Latin for: Peaceful Angel, which is the Angelus's rational persona**

 **[2] Latin for: The Female. What Angelus-alvus calls Sam since he does not know her name.**

 **[3] Latin for: Anxious Angel**

 **[4] "Wake up, human! How is it that I heard The Female in my mind just now? Do you know of her and if so, how?"**

 **[5] Latin for: Irritated/Angry Angel**

 **[6] Latin for: young human ghost**

 **[7] You have to check out my story, 'Gold Tested in Fire', Chapter 47, for all of the details.**

 **[8] Latin for: "Why?"**

 **[9] Latin for : "Why would you and The Female do that to me?"**

 **[10] Latin for: Warrior Angel**

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 **A/N: Well, gang, I hope you enjoyed this episode; and, of course, being the sympathetic author that I am, I know you want to pour your soul out to me about how you felt about this chapter—in that little box below! Until next time, thanks for reading and for your support.**


	30. Chapter 30 Clash of the Titans

**A/N: Well, gang, I'm so glad that I finally got my beta's seal of approval, even if it was by the skin of my teeth and just in the nick of time for this update! And, man, have we been all over the place with this story, huh? But, as you recall from two chapters ago, the ceiling to Ĉasista's lair just got evaporated by something or somebody. And lucky thing for Danny that it did because he was about to get skewered by the she-spider! But, it's time to rewind the DVD a bit to get you back in tune with the main event and to find out what that attack is all about. BUT, before I forget, I've got a surprise for everybodee, including myself! It finally dawned on me after I smacked myself on my forehead for not thinking about it sooner that I have the perfect picture for the cover image of this story! And I give FULL and COMPLETE credit to the artist, whose name is novachan, for the artwork. This is a picture of how I described and visualized Angelus-alvus. I saw this picture a long, long time ago because it's one of my friends' avatar and the actual inspiration for the Angelus-alvus character. So, I hope that you will take a peek at the NEW cover image of this story and see if I described Angelus-alvus enough that THIS was what YOU saw! And, again, the credit goes entirely to novachan. Now, the obligatory disclaimer: I don't own any Danny Phantom character, or the Angelus-alvus picture but the plot and OCs are all mine! And, FINALLY, it's time to tune into the show. Enjoy!**

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Entanglement—Chapter 30—Clash of the Titans

All eight of Ĉasista's eyes widened in shock seconds before they flared red in anger.

There was a huge hole in her lair's ceiling!

And the purple haze still surrounding the area was hiding her view of whoever was responsible for it!

She immediately forgot all about Danny, whom she had unconsciously released when the attack on her lair had started, and locked all of her eyes on the general area above her.

Seething with fury and still searching for the assailant as the purple haze slowly dissipated, her booming voice echoed throughout the immediate atmosphere, "What loathsome creature dares attack the stronghold of Ĉasista, the Guardian of the _Sfero de Ĥaoso_? **[1]** It will rue the day that it came to be!"

She quickly shot a webbed filament upward to the jagged crest of the ceiling's opening; and once it was anchored, she scampered up her webbing as fast as lightning. But she also hurriedly suppressed the power of the gem embedded in her abdomen so that it would not flash in different colors at the spectacle and therefore betray her.

Meanwhile, Danny was so dizzy and his vision was so blurred that he barely noticed that the he was no longer under the spider and still flat on his back on the ground. He was also so drained and injured by this latest attack and the damage already done to his core that he couldn't think straight or hardly move right now.

The other two ghosts had also not recovered yet from the attack on each of their cores. They, too, were very dazed and drained, but what they saw past the purple haze as it dissipated shocked them. Still, they felt compelled to track the quickly-moving she-spider as she slithered up a thick piece of webbing.

And Sam had yet to stir…

Finally, Ĉasista was now standing at the edge of the crest of the large, ragged gap at the top of her lair, ready to capture what she would find before bringing it down to the heart of her lair and to its doom…

In the next second, she deeply inhaled and literally sucked in all of the remaining purple fog.

As soon as the area cleared, her eyes widened slightly before she began to chuckle. She would never have expected this creature floating only a few yards from her; but it did not matter, because there was nothing special about it!

In fact, she could barely contain a much louder, yet, triumphant laugh as she snorted, "Hahahaha! How delicious is this? The one creature that Ĉasista would never imagine would be able to come here, much less attack her, has come willingly to his destruction!"

"That might be a premature prediction," a poker-faced, adult Clockwork said through pursed lips as he floated slightly close enough to the ledge furthest from the spider. He briefly skirted his eyes downward and into the lair. But he could not see anything at this angle. He floated back slightly and landed onto the surface. Still, he continued without a pause, "I might also suggest that _your own_ existence is at stake."

Though slightly amused by his audacity, the she-spider frowned and replied, "Words from a doomed fool do not impress her!"

The she-spirit paused momentarily when she finally noticed something…different about the Time Spirit when he slightly tilted the staff before he re-tightened his grip on it.

Odd.

" _Hmmm, that might explain a lot of things, though she must be careful until she is sure,"_ Ĉasista only murmured to herself.

She continued with a tease, "You do not need any of your trinkets to know that Ĉasista will be destroying you for invading her realm and damaging her lair; still, she is curious as to why you should be so bold in doing so…Did not your…time power reveal to you that you were ill-advised to come here…or are you just running more blind errands for those foolish, cowardly ones as you always have? Hmm? But, oh, more importantly, what business is it of theirs or yours to interfere with Ĉasista's doings after so many centuries?"

The adult Time Master ignored her questions and jabs and calmly replied, "I will come to the point, then, _La Unua_ …" **[2]**

All eight of the spider's red eyes practically popped out of their sockets at almost the same time that she summoned a bolt of lightning and threw it at him as she screeched, "How dare you call her that after all that has happened!"

But the electrical bolt merely splattered against a purple shield around the male spirit that suddenly appeared when it had not been visible a split second before.

And even though he hid his reaction very well, Clockwork the adult was not pleased that it had been harder to repel her attack than he had hoped. After all, he had known all along that a ghost or spirit's power was at its greatest in their lair and his task would be…difficult.

He gripped his staff more firmly all the same and calmly replied, "Though all of us have inexcusably failed to make it our business too many times in the past, it is time to rectify that. You will cease with your current plans and any future ones that you may think you have a right to."

Ĉasista resisted the impulse to fry him right then. But her curiosity got the better of her and she coyly replied, "And what kind of plans do you think Ĉasista has or desires, eh, pet? She was merely tending to her brood before you rudely threatened all of us."

Clockwork kept a staid face on as he answered her, "And you know all too well, Mistress, that 'tending to your brood' entails sacrificing certain ghosts."

The spider suddenly jumped toward the male spirit and landed only about fifteen feet **[3]** from him and began to slowly circle him, skirting sideways like a crab does, all the while cooing insincerely, "And how would you know that any ghosts were here? And for that matter, why the sudden…concern for any ghost? How would they be any different than any of the past ones? Ĉasista needs to feed her brood; and what better way is there to keep ghosts of too much power in check while exchanging their essence for the creation of new ghosts that do not threaten the balance?"

In the meanwhile, the chiseled-face Time Master saw her intentions and immediately, yet slowly, adjusted his position so that he was keeping her in front of him. Still, he grimly replied, "A task only you gave yourself…"

She hotly interrupted, "And a task you and the Others have ignored until now! Why?"

Clockwork paused.

She then guessed, "Is it because Ĉasista has taken three rather than one that would satisfy the balance? She merely wanted to delay any imbalance in the future, since the amount is already at the crest."

But then, the spider also paused in thought and her neck muscles tightened slightly. Though it didn't matter in the end, that might explain why the Time Master was here. She had taken a ghost from the _future_ —one that she had no right to even under her own warped rules and…for those other reasons: that might upset the Time Master and the Others if that future ghost's demise threatened their petty Time and Existence. A growl throttled in her short neck. So what if she damaged and would eventually destroy a creature from the future? What was done, was done! Besides, Clockwork couldn't do anything about it all by himself. He must know that. And yet, here he was, _alone_!

Then he _was_ a fool!

Ĉasista narrowed and focused all of her eyes on the Time Master as her insectoid brain calculated a plan to capture and make him her prey. Part of her was wondering why he wasn't using his time spell on her. True, it would hardly work here, if at all. And yet, he was able to resist her first assault on him….maybe being more resistant would explain why he and his staff were so…different. Though she was not certain, that might also mean that taking him would not be so easy. She smirked only to herself at her next thought: _that_ was also part of the excitement!

Finally, she addressed him.

"Do not be so coy, Time Master," she almost purred even when she never had stopped in slowly trying to circle around him while looking for any weak points. She re-focused on the tip of Clockwork's time staff. She slyly asked, "And what kind of trinket have you recently acquired that gives your time staff…such luster? Has that luster somehow made you bolder?"

The adult Clockwork remained silent even when he knew she would eventually notice all the …differences. But he wasn't going to give her the pleasure of hearing it from his lips.

Unlike the other realms, his time powers could not penetrate the borders of the _Sfero de Ĥaoso._ But even when he could see into the other realms, his powers didn't work well within any of them because they were all spirit realms with their own special magic. And, of course, he had no difficulty in his own realm because it was beyond time and his powers were especially strong there. But all of that changed when he discovered what had ended up in his pocket shortly after he had visited the Observants…

Ĉasista, meanwhile, could tell that she had affected the male spirit in spite of his bluff! Perhaps she could discover more weak spots in his mental resolve—which had already been effectively blocking her telepathic attempts to invade his mind—as well as any of his silly defenses.

While slowly pulling a couple of her legs back behind her, she nonchalantly said, "She sees that you do not wish to tell her…for now! Ĉasista and you know very well the true reason why the Others have not noticed nor acted upon Ĉasista's doings."

Once more, Clockwork the adult did not comment.

"Always the mysterious, non-committed one, eh, pet?" the female spirit almost growled out before those two legs shot forward and suddenly threw thick webbing at him.

But before the sticky thread had come within a foot of the time spirit, a purple beam poured out from his staff and hit it. It suddenly was halted where the beam had hit it and fell down to his feet!

"Impressive," Ĉasista snickered, not missing those unusual things about the male, "Have you become stronger, pet—even when you know that it is impossible— or, is it more likely that you have acquired new tricks?"

The adult Clockwork slightly pursed his lips but did not answer her. However, he took the chance once again to quickly glance down and into the spider's lair. His red eyes barely widened when he spied movement on the floor.

But the male spirit quickly skirted his eyes back onto Ĉasista's whereabouts since the spider had never stopped trying to slowly circle behind him. Satisfied that he was able to counter her moves at the moment, he glanced back down into the lair again. His core calmed slightly when he could see Danny on the floor! But the boy was struggling to get up.

Though Clockwork wondered how the boy had managed to escape and was a bit worried that he may have been hurt in the attempt, he was more proud than worried. After all, the boy had incredibly strong healing powers. And that would mean that he only had to wait a few moments more and he would be getting some help!

Little did the time spirit know that the boy's healing powers were now gone and he would not be able to help him!

Satisfied for the moment, Clockwork as an adult focused back at Ĉasista, raised his Time Staff in threat and demanded, " _La Unua_ , you will now release whatever ghosts and any other creature that are in your possession!"

The spider's eyes flared in anger when he addressed her by that hideous name again. She hissed insistently and in warning, "You cannot command **Ĉasista** as you can less powerful or intelligent ghosts, worm! **Ĉasista** does as she pleases in her realm!"

She stepped slightly forward before shifting to her side again, stealthily tightening the radius of the circle that she purposely had put the time spirit in and continued, "She has been satisfied to have her way for centuries. Are you here because you and the Others wish to go to war again? For if you do, Ĉasista will be victorious this time and you know it. All the more the reason for your coming here was extremely foolhardy!"

"Always the egotistical one," the adult Clockwork replied without emotion, even as he still was able to keep her to his front.

Ĉasista's hideous face contorted into a scowl and her eyes flared again when she lost a bit of control. And this time, her eyes and the gem nestled in her abdomen rapidly changed colors.

The male spirit didn't miss any of that and one of his eyebrows twitched slightly. _"I had suspected as such and that would explain a lot,"_ he concluded only to himself.

Nevertheless, he frowned at what that might mean.

Still, he set his adult jaw, lifted his staff with his left hand, which instantly glowed more brightly, and demanded once again, "I will not say it again, witch! Release your prisoners!"

Ĉasista's eyes and the gem stopped changing colors when she saw how brilliant his staff and aura were glowing at the moment.

She glared at the spirit and thought, _"Aha! He must be at a higher power level now…all the more delicious he will be when she devours him!"_

She collected herself at that thought and coolly replied, "You must not care what happens to Time and Existence for how much you threaten her! Ĉasista would have thought you to be more prudent than that! Maybe Fate made a poor choice for the Time Master after all!"

Clockwork ignored her and only lifted his Time Staff higher in threat.

Her eyes narrowing in a mixture of contempt and wicked glee, she continued, "Tell Ĉasista, pet, why are a few insignificant ghosts more important than Time and Existence?"

The male retorted, "Time, Existence and the well-being of all life forms are equally important no matter what time they existed, exist or will exist, La Unua!"

She was now more enraged that he used _that name_ again than the fact that he must know that she had captured a future ghost or that her gem and eyes were rapidly changing colors again. She hissed back, "She demands to be addressed as Ĉasista!"

She immediately conjured up another lightning bolt and hurled it at the Time Spirit.

This time, the purple force field around the adult Clockwork flared at the assault before smoke rose off of it; and the male spirit hitched in the pain he felt at the assault. He knew he was running out of time because in spite of the unplanned 'enhancement', his power was as compromised as the Observants had diligently warned him about.

Still, Clockwork wasn't finished yet and he measured his words as he replied, "Call yourself as you like. But you must cease with this madness!"

Instead of replying right away, the she-spider threw more webbing at him. This time, they briefly stuck onto the purple force field before they sloughed off and fell to the male spirit's feet yet again.

Ĉasista then chuckled wickedly, "Aw, pet, you are a definite fool for coming! You must feel your powers leeching out into the atmosphere. Unless you have dwelt here and learned to compensate, or are under the protective shells of Ĉasista's lair or the _Sfero de Ĥaoso,_ the parched atmosphere will suck you dry! But she will have your energy before that ever happens!"

She threw another lightning bolt at the male.

But this time, instead of relying upon his protective force field, Clockwork aimed his staff and fired at it. The two forces colliding together seemed to shatter the atmosphere just as if they were an earthquake wracking the ground!

Clockwork winced in pain under the invisible yet strong wave of energy that was rebuffed back at him and the she-spider. He did not know how much longer he could hold out. Where was Danny?

But he had no more time to think about that because Ĉasista just reversed her sideways movement.

The she-spider sniffed the air and chuckled as she sinisterly added, "And Ĉasista senses that the time is right!"

Suddenly, she stood up on only two legs while the six remaining ones seemed to take a mind of their own. All at once, each of the six legs were either throwing webbing or bolts of electricity at Clockwork.

The adult Time Spirit just as quickly countered the incoming electrical or sticky missiles with his Time Staff's rapid-firing beams or bursts of energy to stifle Ĉasista's efforts. And those he couldn't stop slammed into his force field and went nowhere.

But instead of getting frustrated, the female spirit shrieked with glee as she continued to do battle. To fight one of the most powerful spirits was thrilling enough, but to be victorious over this particularly over-confident one would be a crowning event! She knew that once she had him in her clutches, she would enjoy making his demise slow.

Not letting up on her barrage, she calmly called out, "Ah, pet, you can be assured that once Ĉasista has you, you will be the catalyst for the most exquisite of future ghosts! And you can wrestle with any conscience-you-undoubtedly-do-not-have in knowing that those special ghosts your energy helped make will be many and all at least level-eight ghosts that she will use in due time to conquer the other spirit realms!"

"Always the megalomaniac, La Unua!" Clockwork the adult tersely replied, even among the effort he took in countering all of the spider's blows. He continued with as much aplomb as he could muster, "I no longer have any regrets as to why you were placed here in the first place! And I can assure you, witch, that the time of your victory will not come!"

"Tut-tut, Time Master," she countered as more of her arsenal slammed into Clockwork's force field, "You of all spirits should know that in the Guardian's realm, victory is inevitable!"

Suddenly, all of those six attacking legs began to throb in energy before six lightning bolts shot forward and actually converged on each other in the middle of an imaginary circle until they formed one powerful laser-like, _ecto-fandado_ **[4]** beam.

The mighty ray dug into Adult Clockwork's protective shield and it began to crack! The aura on top of his staff also began to waver in intensity.

The male spirit's arms and Time Staff shook under the struggle of trying to counter the spider's wicked beam and maintain his shield.

He tried to ignore it when the aura on top of his staff was now sputtering. He knew that the wicked female was right: he would be out of power soon!

But suddenly, he heard his name, _from below_!

"Clockwork, behind you!"

The male spirit instantly knew that Danny had warned him. And the boy sounded weak! He had been worried as to why the boy hadn't been able to fly up here and help—even when he wouldn't be any match for Ĉasista—because he would anyways!

Clockwork couldn't have known what had been happening to the boy in all this while…

Danny had indeed been trying to recuperate from being struck by lightning and his other injuries before Clockwork had spied him. And now that the huge spider had let go of him, shot a thick thread of webbing upward and practically rocketed in that direction shortly after, he struggled to pull himself off of the ground and become airborne.

"Ow," the boy groaned as he tried to clear his wildly spinning head. "Well, at least I'm beginning to see better, as if seeing double is better than seeing only one big blur!"

And he winced when every movement hurt and he could feel his warm ectoplasm running down both of his arms from where the spider had dug her claws into his shoulders. But more than that, his core still ached badly. True, he had experienced tremendous pain countless of times, but with his healing power, he never experienced it for this _long_ before.

"Ugh," Danny moaned, "I feel like I've gotten run over by a truck, which technically, I haven't, but, oww!"

Finally, the young half-ghost managed to pull himself up to a sitting position; but he immediately cradled his head when in the next second, he felt he might throw up.

But a few moments later, his head finally began to clear and he gasped at what he last remembered. He hurriedly scanned all around him. And then, for the first time since he had been in this putrid place, he felt a breeze coming from up above. His face scrunched up in confusion and he immediately looked upward and gasped again.

Ĉasista was up at the edge of a hole in the ceiling and slowly moving sideways along its side. The boy hitched in another gasp when her body cleared from his line of vision and he couldn't believe what he saw!

"Clockwork!" he weakly breathed out, suddenly worried about the spirit. But he also hoped that Clockwork was the cavalry that they all needed.

Still, he reflexively tried to pull himself upward in flight but instead grasped at his core and grunted in pain when he couldn't.

But then, he saw lightning charge downward and hit the Time Master! He felt his heart and core constrict in fear and then at the resultant pain shooting through his core. He could feel the tears already forming because at this moment, he was completely helpless!

Then, he couldn't see Clockwork anymore! He struggled to pull himself up and managed coming only to a half-kneel. It was now easier for him to actually see snippets of the fight between the two spirits, even though he could clearly hear their blows. A moment later, the wicked she-spider had come into his line of vision again and was shooting powerful bolts or webbing randomly in what he guessed was the general direction of Clockwork!

But his breathing increased when he didn't see any return beams of energy in all that time.

"Why did he come here, then? He must know he can't win!" the boy groaned, all the while denying that it was possible for Clockwork to be defeated. But underneath, he knew that only one Being was invincible, and it didn't dwell here.

Once again, Danny struggled to take flight, only to lose his balance and grip his core when he tried. And just as he could assume a half-kneel position again, he panted and silently pleaded to the heavens, _"Please, help him!"_

Suddenly, he gasped in partial relief when he saw the time spirit again, but he could see that his mentor was clearly on the defensive at every blow. And then, he could see an area just behind the time spirit light up.

Danny could see in the next moment that it looked as if the Time Master was going to be hit by a bolt of electricity _from behind_ and he yelled out, "Clockwork, behind you!"

To the young hybrid's relief, Clockwork not only had heard him, but had quickly twisted to his right and took flight, barely avoiding a powerful lightning bolt that had indeed come from behind and just carved out a smoldering crater where he would have been!

But Danny gasped when another angry energy beam was plowing into Clockwork from the front this time, shattering his force field.

Now both frustrated and desperate that he couldn't fly, much less try to help his mentor, the teen anxiously tried to reach his 'inner strength' again.

He hissed in pain when he couldn't. His core was still too injured.

Still, the teen wasn't going to stop.

"Arrgghh!" he screamed when the effort sent a lightning bolt of pain through his core and sent his head spinning once more.

Before Danny knew it, he was sprawled out on the ground and barely conscious!

During this time, Evil Dan and Vlad could also do nothing but hear the battle above them. They hadn't been able to see what was happening since they were against the wall and well away from the opening in the ceiling. But they could definitely hear ectoplasmic and more foreign energy rays blasting away. And they could clearly see that Danny was struggling to get up off of the floor before he screamed out to Clockwork in warning. And then, not too long after that, the boy was on the ground again.

Meanwhile, Clockwork grunted under the sting of the blow that had destroyed his protective energy shield.

Nevertheless, and hoping against hope, he gritted his teeth, and concentrated all of his own spirit power into boosting his staff, all the while trying to avoid any incoming attack. But he sighed when it looked as if nothing had come from his effort! He knew in short order he would be directly absorbing Ĉasista's awful power!

But then, he felt a tremor before a beam finally shot out of his staff and formed another shield. And just in time, too, for a large red beam had banged into it. This time, smoke erupted from his Time Staff and quickly shrouded him before its luster dulled. He could feel that its power was almost spent!

And in the next moment, for some inexplicable reason, there was silence!

No time to lose! He had to move! But as soon as he had cleared the smoke after darting to his right, Clockwork hitched in a gasp.

Ĉasista was right in front of him!

He reflexively swung his time staff at her and smacked the side of her insectoid head.

But the she-spider instantly rebounded and grabbed his arm holding the staff and dug into it while another foreleg grabbed the shaft of the staff and jerked it away!

But Clockwork the adult didn't give in even when she had injured his arm. He grabbed the Time Staff with his other hand, yanked it away from the spider, and whacked her head as hard as he could a second time, all the while driving what energy he had left in the Time Staff into her.

It was enough of a blow to discombobulate the spider. She unconsciously released the male spirit and Clockwork darted away.

But Ĉasista's teetered thoughts were extremely short and, oddly, she hurriedly brought up one of her legs to her mouth. A second later, she refocused on something more important than a counter-attack.

Much to the adult Clockwork's irritation, the spider began to laugh! When she had injured the Time Master's arm, she had snapped off a piece of his aura! And she could easily find out all about him without ever needing to invade his mind!

"Ah, you surprise Ĉasista, pet," she snorted, her senses clogged with what Clockwork's aura revealed. "The 'great' Clockwork has an 'Achilles' heel'! You did not come here out of any sense of pathetic 'duty' to those imbecilic Observants, though you have recently visited them. She is curious, though, at what possessed the short-sighted Observants to give you one…two…no….a combination of two orbs! But that would explain some things…Not that it matters anymore, since they are now powerless and useless!"

A poker-faced Clockwork, though a few yards away, remained silent as a memory flashed in his mind. Of course, he knew that in the end she would find out how he managed to fight her for so long. He had immediately guessed that Konsilisto had somehow managed to slip the transfigured Timeless Magic orb into one of the pockets of his cloak when the High Counselor had 'bumped' into him. And when he had pulled it out of his pocket back in his lair, he immediately knew by its deep purple color that the Observants had somehow been able to combine _two_ of their orbs into _one_. As soon as he had brought the morphed orb to his Time Staff, he knew which of the two they had combined: Justeco's Orb of Power and…oddly, another Orb he had previously not known about that could control time to a lesser extent than he.

A ghost of a smirk hugged the left side of his mouth once more at the thought at how the two brothers had been able to pull that off—and pull one over him—but then again, possibilities always abounded in—and even out of—time…and he thought he would have to re-think that they were spineless…

But once he mounted the combined Timeless Magic Orb on top of his Time Staff, it melded with the staff's own power gem and channeled its impressive power into the staff. The transformation thickened and brightened the purple aura surrounding the staff and Clockwork. Indeed, then, Clockwork's power level was high enough for his task. And after that, Clockwork was able to see Time in the _Sfero de Ĥaoso_ for the first time. That Timeless Magic also enhanced his own personal spirit powers and kept him in stasis at his strongest persona—his adult state—not only to conserve his power he used in morphing but also to reserve enough power for him to confront Ĉasista. Only now, that power was gone again when he had last attacked her!

And he was now in stasis in his adult form because he was powerless.

The spider's words pulled him out of his thoughts, "No, indeed! No 'duty' spurred you to come here…It was a pathetic concern for a…what? Friend? Impossible! For surely, the 'great' Master of Time has no bonds with any creature, nor can he afford to have any bonds with any creature! Though she is puzzled as to why such an insignificant and troublesome young creature—and a half-ghost at that— would interest such a powerful spirit as yourself. Are you getting soft in your old age?" She briefly chuckled at her own pun before she radically growled, "Pity either way, for you are now doomed, pet!"

Now she would get him to completely yield.

Yet again, Clockwork showed no outward sign of any reaction to what she said.

Instead, he was secretly scanning the area for any possible way he could…But then, Clockwork-in-stasis quickly refocused on the she-spider when she moved and tensed slightly when once again, he _felt_ _something_ ….

Ĉasista started to cackle so hard that she momentarily coughed on her laugh before she blurted out in wicked glee, "Ironical, is it not, Time Master, that your 'Achilles heel' has been your undoing!? All your effort has been in vain and unless you willingly give me your core, she will destroy the young half-ghost right now!"

The spider started to turn away from the male spirit and toward the large hole nearby. The arrogant time spirit was no longer any threat now that the _Sfero de Ĥaoso_ 's atmosphere had robbed him of his power. And she knew he would yield once he saw she was not bluffing! All the more ironical that once she had ripped the male spirit's core out of him, she would _still_ destroy that troublesome youngest ghost!

But then, Ĉasista hissed at a sudden sharp pain to the underside of her belly!

"Arghh!" she bellowed as her eyes bulged in rage and shock. Somehow, she had been hit by Timeless Magic! She twisted back in the direction from where the beam had come and saw a thin trail of smoke wafting above Clockwork's Time Staff.

"How?" she asked incredulously. "You are out of power!"

Clockwork narrowed his eyes. He would never admit to her that the Timeless Magic in his Time Staff re-generated on its own, even though, ironically, it would take some time to fully charge. But he also knew that he didn't have that 'some time' right now; and so, he could tell by that earlier tremor he had felt that even though his staff was re-charging, it was still not _fully_ charged at that moment. And that would mean that he didn't have enough power for him to put up as a good of a fight as when he first confronted the witch. But he would take what he could get and instantly shot some of it at her.

She screeched in hate and immediately counter-attacked. Instead of creating the single laser-like _ecto-fandado_ _ **[4]**_ beam, she veered three sets of reddish-black lightning bolts at Clockwork.

Fortunately, he morphed into his child persona and all three bolts missed him. And he didn't hesitate to shoot back.

Ĉasista was now livid! She was done with him and she would destroy this arrogant creature as soon as she would get her claws on him!

Quickly weaving a large shield made of webbing, she charged at the male spirit.

Clockwork, who had just morphed into his adult form again, was amazed at the quickness and the agility of the large spider as she rapidly approached him.

He managed to dodge her first try, but she quickly twisted back and shot webbing at him, which stuck to Clockwork's cloak. Before he could shoot it off, the time master was reeling from the electrical bolt that had almost instantaneously traveled up that webbing before delivering its smite into him.

Not a moment later, Ĉasista's webbed shield had wrapped around one of the time spirit's arms and pinned it to his side while several of her other legs had grabbed the weakening Time Staff!

But this time, Clockwork didn't try to pull his staff back. Instead, he lurched forward and twisted his staff downward so that he once again threw the rest of his power into her large abdomen.

Ĉasista yelled out in pain and felt suddenly weaker. But she still tore the staff out of his hand and threw it down this time as she said with hate, "This is no Pyrrhic victory for you, worm, for Ĉasista will not be defeated and will feast on you herself!"

The male spirit hissed with the pain from the angry force clamping down on him. And his struggles were in vain, for he could not fight her lifting him upward with the intention of biting his head off. Suddenly, however, he relaxed, as if resigned to his fate…

He had no other tricks…

And he was out of time!

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 **[1] Hope you remember that it is Esperanto for: Realm of Chaos**

 **[2] Esperanto for: The First One**

 _ **[3]**_ **T** **hat's about four and half meters for all you metric-minded readers!**

 **[4] Hope you remember that Casista's energy is called** _ **ecto-fandado,**_ **which is Esperanto for fusion energy!**

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 **Well, gang, just when I thought things would calm down-NAH! I never did want things to calm down! But I hoped that I did surprised you—even when I did give you hints….many chapters ago! Feel very free to drop your thoughts in the box down below—including about the pix (Yeah, I'm greedy for your thoughts—just like Ĉasista!) Until next time, pets!**


	31. Chapter 31 Tense Confrontations

**A/N: Hiya, everybodee! Things have been very hectic for my wonderful beta, so we were unexpectedly delayed. But all is good now and time for that update. When we last left Clockwork, he was out-of-power and in the clutches of Ĉasista. Tucker was about to get attacked by the Angelus. Sam was still unconscious. Danny was wiped out. And Dan and Vlad were still stuck good in their cerkos….Gah. Looks like no one's having a good time except Ĉasista! Hope you are as nervous as me as to what is going to happen next! (After all, you never know what MsHyde will do!) Gulp! Enjoy the show!**

Entanglement—Chapter 31—Tense Confrontations

Clockwork remained calm even when he knew he was out-of-power and about to be destroyed by the she-spider.

But then, he skirted his eyes to his left a little. And almost immediately after that, Ĉasista's entire lair began to shake; and the rattling was so intense that the she-spider completely lost her balance and unintentionally loosened her grip on Clockwork's arm that hadn't been stuck down to his side by her webbing.

Reflexively, the Time Master thrust his free hand upward in a quick, hard jab, forcibly poking one of her eyes, which was enough of a startle for her to let him go.

Even as the quaking continued and she was still having difficulty in keeping her balance, the spider screamed in rage, lunged after Clockwork and managed to seize him once again!

This time, however, the male spirit tried to pull away; but Ĉasista was able to clamp down on both of his arms again, yanked him back, and pulled him toward her mouth with three of her spider legs. But then, she thought better of it and instead, readied one of her foreclaws to impale his core in the next second!

But suddenly, all of Ĉasista's eyes widened and she momentarily froze in place when her sharp senses heard a dreadful sound:

The entire highway of large thick webbing connecting her lair to the larger orb, that is, the _Sfero de Ĥaoso,_ was snapping under the tension of all that violence!

Still clutching Clockwork, the she-spirit twisted back toward the sound and all but her injured eye bulged out in disbelief before she shrieked in anger!

The larger orb was also shaking violently; and a moment later, it seemed to explode! The force rent open a huge hole at the site of the small opening that Tucker had introduced to the large orb; and countless different-colored Angeli spewed outward.

Angelus-bellator **[1],** with his wings and eyes blazing in fire, was in the lead—

And _Tucker_ was riding on him just behind his wings!

"Clockwork?" Tucker uttered in confusion when he had peered ahead and saw what look like the Time Master within the clutches of the wicked spirit and she was about to…

Tucker was so upset that he hurriedly pointed and anxiously shouted toward the Angelus's ear, "Ĉasista! Over there! She's got him! Ĉasista's hurting Clockwork!"

Though the Angelus cocked his head and shifted his head slightly toward Tucker at his utterance, he answered him telepathically, since their telepathic connection had already been reestablished, _"Clockwork? I do not know of him."_

" _You don't know Clockwork?"_ Tucker mentally gasped in surprise before he threw that emotion away and quickly added, _"_ _No_ _time to explain,_ _but he's also_ _my friend and we need to help him, uh, too!"_

Angelus-bellator nodded before he raised his flaming sword and red shield and commanded in a voice that was so loud that it echoed throughout the surrounding atmosphere.

"Oppugnatis!" **[2]**

The Angelus leader immediately pulled his shield closer before he swooped downward, followed by his kin.

"No roller coaster will ever top this-s-s-s!" Tucker yelped with the steep downward plunge but nevertheless held on tightly.

The Angeli moved as a single unit and they veered slightly to the left and toward their target. Not a core-beat later, Angelus-bellator's shield was slamming into the huge she-spider and his sword was slicing through one of her legs that was still grasping onto Clockwork. Other Angeli bit off the other legs holding onto the Time Master. Still another Angeli chewed through the webbing encasing Clockwork's other arm and he now had both arms free! A split-second later, a throng of Angeli were swarming all over the large female insect and pulled her the rest of the way from Clockwork before they hungrily and angrily attacked her.

Ĉasista screeched in both pain and fury and immediately commanded several lightning bolts in counter-attack. A lot of Angeli were knocked down or jettison away into the atmosphere from the she-devil's blows. But she suddenly frowned even as she fought on. She felt weaker and then her eyes widened at the memory of the Time Master's last blow to her abdomen.

But before she could react any more, even more Angeli pressed even closer and harder toward her until she was pinned down. Angelus-bellator drew nearer and was about to strike her with his sword…

In the meanwhile, Clockwork had fallen to the ground after he had been released. Since he was still out-of-power, he hurriedly got up, ran toward, and then hurriedly scooped up his Time Staff which had been lying nearby. And hoping that his hunch was right, he just as quickly ran to the spot where he had last attacked the she-spider. His red pupilless eyes slightly widened when he spied the slight glint in the ground. Yes! He had been successful! He bent down and grabbed the gem that was once embedded in Ĉasista! But as he wrapped his hand around it, he startled at all the power that was now surging through him. And he suddenly felt tempted to keep it and wield it himself.

He immediately threw that thought away and refocused on his idea he had just before he had grasped the gem. He carefully placed the gleaming, multi-colored jewel on top of the morphed Timeless Magic Orb still melded onto the top of his Time Staff. Once it melded into the other gems, a huge ball of light made up of all the colors of a rainbow burst outward like a nova from the staff before its powerful energy radiated forward and blanketed all the Angeli and Ĉasista.

Instantly, all of them were frozen in time, including Tucker!

Once the force dissipated, Clockwork soared up to the immobile Angelus-bellator and Tucker and placed a time medallion on each of them.

Angelus-bellator gasped and his eyes flared in anger when Clockwork's Time Staff flicked his sword away from coming down upon the Guardian after he was freed from the time spell.

But before the winged spirit could react to Clockwork's rash effrontery, he frowned and twisted his face toward Tucker just as the boy exhaled abruptly and erupted, "Clockwork! Are you okay? Well, er, of course, you're okay or else you would still be getting skewered and eaten by that she-devil!"

The boy jumped off of the spirit and anxiously waving his arms, he continued, "Though I'm happy that that witch is on ice right now, how did she get up here and where's Danny and Sam?"

He paused momentarily and felt the tears already brimming at his next gut feeling.

But he didn't question it, tugged on the bottom of the Angelus's tunic, pointed downward, and radically burst out, "Danny! Sam! They're hurt! But she's still hurt more! Uh, Mr. Angelus-dude! Ad Femina is still hurt and she's down there somewhere!"

The winged spirit's eyes widened at the words, but he knew it was true because he _felt_ the human boy's feelings and heard his thoughts! He instantly forgot his quarrel with Clockwork and needed no more prompting. He grabbed the boy and practically hurled him back onto his back.

Tucker yelped at the violent handling but reflexively hung on tight when the winged spirit promptly was airborne before diving down into the hole in Ĉasista's ceiling.

Once they cleared the hole, Tucker peered ahead, privately thankful that the large hole made seeing in here possible, even if a little bit. In the next split second, he mentally yelled to the spirit, _"I see her! I see Ad Femina! She's to your left, and over on that wall way over there!"_

The spirit immediately increased his speed…

During this entire time, Danny had been lying on the ground near the hole in the ceiling, dazed and drained from this entire ordeal. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but still hear all of the commotion above that had continued; and fretting about what was happening to Clockwork, he struggled to recover so he could try to help.

But when he tried to get up, he blurted out, "Whoah!" when his dizziness had increased and "Oowww!" at the pain that had shot through his injured core and head.

He unwittingly lay back down, which only made him more anxious.

He tried to stay off the growing panic as his breathing increased at not being able to recuperate fast enough. Taking his healing powers for granted before never stung so poignantly than now!

Still, in the midst of his anxiety and wooziness, Danny suddenly realized that he _had to get a hold of himself_. If he didn't try to nip his mounting panic in the bud, he wouldn't be able to try to reach that seemingly bottomless well of ectoplasmic energy, that is, 'his inner strength' and maybe even his _spirit_ _energy_. He closed his eyes and concentrated on trying to control his breathing. He hoped and prayed that his reservoir of energy had replenished enough.

Unfortunately, what the boy knew about the Ghost Zone—that all ghosts were able to draw energy directly from the atmosphere with or without any healing ability—did not apply in the _Sfero de Ĥaoso_ realm. In fact, it was more likely that the atmosphere now leaking into Ĉasista's lair would suck what energy he had right out of him!

He closed his eyes and actually held his breath briefly before slowly exhaling. He then slowly breathed in and exhaled again. Finally, he felt that he at least had some control over his emotions, even if he still felt light-headed. Maybe he could finally try to reach for his inner strength…

However, a few moments later, the young hybrid frowned in fret as he moaned to himself, _"Man, I sure did take my healing power for granted!"_

But that thought only made him feel guilty as he continued, _"Like I took a lot of stuff for granted, that just ended up getting me and my friends in the deepest trouble ever!"_

His emotional reaction to that thought and his dizziness only made his failure to reach his inner strength sting more. And for a few moments more, he felt completely helpless and even numb as the myriad of emotions tied to all his failures—real and artificial—overwhelmed him. He closed his eyes; and suddenly, all of the noise of the battle above seemed to disappear…

Though being so paralyzed would seem catastrophic at any other time, it actually was fortunate for the boy because it made him _physically_ rest, which is what he really needed at the moment. And in that much needed time, what made Danny special came to light: he truly was not an ordinary ghost, but a half-ghost with cold fusion enhanced by spirit energy. And that meant that the rules of the _Sfero de Ĥaoso_ didn't apply _to him_!

Finally, the boy felt a slight stirring within, which woke him from his mini-nap. He felt a little less dizzy and blinked a few times while shaking his head as his thoughts became more coherent.

" _Okay, some of me is making more sense,"_ he thought as he reached up to rub his forehead. But then, he winced and added, _"That was weird!"_ But when he tuned back into the battle above, he felt a sudden impulse to act, " _But, heck, maybe that means I can try to do something again."_

But after much difficulty, he was only able to get to a sitting position, before having to rest from even that when he felt as if he was going to be overwhelmed by vertigo! He crossed his legs in front of him and let his head fall to his chest, hoping that would stop his dizziness and maybe even help him to relax, which would allow him to open the channel to his inner strength, and more importantly, keep it open. And if he was lucky, maybe he could still connect with his spirit energy.

But then, all the commotion above ceased; and to Danny, the silence was as creepy as that before a tempest.

" _Hurry!"_ he commanded himself when he realized that he had finally reached his inner strength and his spirit energy!

Suddenly, however, just as a bright green aura surrounded by a bright red aura was beginning to flicker around his body, Danny saw a huge shadow approaching from him above. He gasped in dread and jerked his head upward, thinking that Ĉasista had come back for him now that she had destroyed Clockwork!

But much to his horror, his vision hadn't cleared yet even though the surge in energy was still pumping through him—but much slower than it usually did.

Danny hissed when his core constricted from his trying to press it to give him more energy. But then, he gasped again in shock when the shadow moved away from him—and toward…

"Sam!" he gasped in alarm even as his still-focusing eyes had never strayed from the moving creature.

After all, as far as he was concerned in this foul place, nothing new was good news.

But the young half-ghost then gasped in horror when he could finally make out that the shadow wasn't Ĉasista's as he had feared, but something _far worse!_

And even though he had never seen the radically-changed Angelus before, the boy instinctively thought, _"I don't even want to know what that thing is, but if Ĉasista sent it here, it can't be good!"_

Still, he swallowed down his pain, wooziness and fear, pulled himself up to a half-kneeling position and slammed his fisted hands together. He commanded his spirit-enhanced energy to form in and between them, aimed and then shot a green-surrounded-by-red beam at the Angelus.

It had never occurred to the still dazed boy that, so far, there was only one Angelus in here; nor had he seen—or expected—to see Tucker riding on the creature's back!

In the meantime, Danny's energy ray penetrated the lower back of the Angelus's right wing.

Tucker yelped and almost fell off when Angelus-bellator radically and unexpectedly changed course now that his wing had been injured.

" _Did Ĉasista get free somehow?"_ Tucker immediately thought in dread. _"And if so, where's Clockwork?"_

But, of course, he didn't have time to think about it any longer or look behind him because he was yelping again when the Angelus was being propelled upward from the next potent energy beam that had made contact on his abdomen this time. The boy had to twist to one side to keep from getting squashed between the Angelus and an intact part of the lair's ceiling!

Even as the spirit fell slightly and then shakily caught himself, he corrected it enough to head toward Sam again.

Yet another beam, which was not as intense as the earlier two smacked into the winged spirit.

The Angelus's red eyes flared in anger; and his mind now refocused on destroying his attacker rather than his mission. Though he was still having some difficulty correcting his flight, he was still able to twist around to face his foe. He instantly raised his shield and sword upward in a battle stance.

But then, another supercharged beam was heading right toward him!

This time, the direct shot pummeled the Angelus's shield. Though it protected the spirit and his human passenger, it still pushed him back.

Tucker cried out in panic at having lost his balance again, but this time, he managed to peer over the Angelus' shoulder and search for their attacker.

His eyes widened when he could see it was his friend, Danny Phantom!

" _Of course, he wouldn't know!"_ he hurriedly thought before he tried to reach his friend telepathically. But then he swallowed hard when he could tell that he couldn't get through!

" _And, of course, his emotions must be on overdrive and blocking me,"_ he added before he suddenly gulped at his next feeling.

And when he tuned back in telepathically to the Angelus, he hitched in a gasp. He had no doubt that the Angelus was no longer thinking about Sam. He was thinking about destroying…Danny!

Back in a panic, the boy threw his next pleading thoughts at the Angelus's mind, _"Mr. Angelus, sir, I know who's attacking us but he doesn't mean to attack us so please don't attack him! He doesn't know that you are, uhm, helping! Please put me down and I promise to keep him from shooting at you anymore while you go help Ad Femina, uh, please?"_

Though the winged spirit was now in a bellicose mood and was inclined not to listen, their connection, fortunately, was solid. A few moments later—which included having to avoid a few more of Danny's beams—the Angelus frowned slightly. He could sense from their telepathic connection that Tucker was sincerely worried about his and Danny's impending battle and even more worried about Ad Femina's life!

He then paused when he sensed something else….

Finally, the Angelus's eyes returned to their regular glow and he mentally replied to Tucker in foreboding, _"Time is waning for Ad Femina! And so, I have no time to put you down safely. Pluck out one of my feathers and hold onto it since you then must jump off…_ He paused briefly in slight confusion at catching some of Tucker's thoughts—and at having to avoid another beam—before he added with a slight growl, _"And be sure to help your 'friend' to calm himself—if he knows what is good for him!"_

" _Thank you, for understanding,"_ the boy quietly replied telepathically as he gingerly reached for one of the spirit's blazing feathers as instructed. But he was surprised when the fiery feather didn't burn him as he grabbed and then pulled on it. Instead, it seemed to undulate and flap gently against his hands as if they were a deck of cards being shuffled within a gambler's hands.

But he also knew he had no more time to dwell on that. He gulped slightly, leaned over the Angelus's shoulder and hanging on the large feather for dear life, closed his eyes and purposely fell off the spirit as if he had just bailed out of an airplane.

When he opened his eyes, he actually smirked rather than panicked.

" _Man, hang-gliding will never be the same, either!"_ he couldn't help but think.

Still, he grew more serious and anxiously tugged the left or right side of his spectral parachute and yelled out to his friend as he floated downward toward him, "Danny, STOP! He's helping us!"

Unfortunately, Tucker couldn't know that Danny's head was spinning more and more with every one of his attacks. And so, he was straining to keep focused only on stopping what he thought was a dangerous creature from attacking his girl at all costs! But, fortunately, his hazed mind also latched onto that familiar voice that had yelled at him; and so, his eyes followed and partially-focused on the human boy enough for him to momentarily hesitate. Instead of questioning how Tucker was suddenly here, Danny thought that his friend must know that he needed to stop that evil creature. And so, he immediately resumed firing at the Angelus since he was almost upon Sam!

Tucker, meanwhile, winced when he heard the Angelus cry out in pain at Danny's last blow. And he gulped all of the sudden when he was telepathically aware that the winged spirit's focus and control over his emotions were waning more and more after Danny's last attack!

And then, though his arms were now shaking from the strain, Danny was aiming yet again at the spirit!

"Dude! Ya gotta stop!" Tucker desperately yelled from aloft.

But then, the boy could clearly see that Danny hadn't heard him.

Now fearful that the Angelus would lose control and attack them all after Danny's next blow—especially when Tucker had to admit that he had had only a hunch about the spirit and really didn't know whether the spirit was a good or bad dude underneath—he pumped his legs in earnest, trying to hurry his descent and distance. His eyes widened when he saw Danny's energy momentarily increase! Now panicking and yet hoping that he had estimated right, the boy suddenly lunged forward and let go of the fiery feather earlier than he had originally planned. Now in a head-first diving position, he plunged downward. A few moments later—and not caring whether Danny would accidentally hurt him or that he would even have the strength to be able to counter his ghost friend's super-strength—he reached outward as he continued downward, intending to grab his friend's glowing hands and keep him from firing.

But much to the surprise and relief of the bespectacled teen, as he was reaching for his friend's hands, he saw that his own hands were surrounded by his brilliant green Spectre energy! Immediately afterward, Tucker was grabbing and pushing his superhero friend's hands downward much easier than he ever thought he would be able to do and just as Danny released more energy point blank at him! Instead of hurting Tucker, however, the beam ricocheted off of his spirit-energized hands and scorched the nearby wall just before Tucker plowed completely into his friend.

But Danny was so dizzy that all he could focus on was protecting Sam. And he immediately got angry at his friend for interfering and reflexively threw him off of him. And even as he struggled to renew his attack on the Angelus, Danny growled in threat, "Tucker, are you crazy?! That thing's going to hurt Sam!"

"No, dude, he's not!" Tucker insisted as he jumped back up and ran toward his friend.

But Danny ignored him, pulled himself up to a stand, and re-aimed, only for Tucker to grab his friend's hands again and then pulled and twisted them so firmly that they both ended up on the ground again.

The dark-skinned boy couldn't believe that he was now in a tug-of-war kind of struggle with Danny Phantom!

Even as he grunted with the effort, Tucker panted out, "Dude! Listen to me! That's Angelus-alvus and—"

Danny gasped at hearing that name and before he knew it, all those awful memories of almost getting killed by that creature flooded his foggy mind.

Now completely irrational and panicking, Danny pulled harder against his friend before his eyes flared and his aura brightened as he hotly demanded, "You better let go, man!"

Tucker instantly recognized that wild, unfocused look in his friend's eyes. It was the same look Danny had when he had been shot by the Spectre, and during his angry rants shortly after he was rescued from Plasmius, which meant that his friend must be practically out of his mind right now! And even though his heart was racing and his breathing had increased from the fear of knowing that in the next few seconds he might feel the brunt of another terrifying assault similar to the ones his friend had when he was working through his emotions, he didn't let go!

Instead, Tucker insisted between pants, "No, man, no! Ya gotta stop or else Sam's gonna die! And he's gonna try to help her like he healed me after he, uh, hurt me…uh, kinda, only that he never hurt Sam!"

Though they were still essentially wrestling, Danny was both shocked and confused on what his friend had just said and he blurted out, "What?"

Tucker practically yelled out, "Oh, I don't know what I'm saying, but you have to _trust_ me on this one and stop shooting! He's going to _help_ Sam!"

Danny mind finally focused on the word 'trust' before his looked at his friend with less wildness. He did trust Tucker… _with his life_ —and Sam's too!

Danny's energy dispelled and he immediately winced from the pain shooting through his core. His head was spinning with the sudden drain and he fell fully to his knees before sitting on his heels. He knew he had overtaxed himself again; and really, there was nothing else he could do right now.

Even when he could feel the tears already rushing out from his eyes and down his cheeks, Danny nevertheless looked back up at his friend, who was already helping him back up, and sadly said, "I do trust you, man, but I don't think anyone can help Sam now since Ĉasista ripped my healing power out of me and really hurt my core badly. But, at least, I wasn't going to let anyone hurt her anymore."

Tucker bit his lip and put his still glowing hands on his friend's shoulder and softly replied, "I know that Sam's hurt bad 'cause I could feel it, but I, uhm, also have a feeling that the Angelus can not only help her, but will!"

Suddenly, Danny looked up to where Sam and the Angelus were and he gasped in panic yet again when he saw that the Angelus had raised his sword too close to Sam!

The teen ghost reflexively tried to fly but couldn't, not only because he really couldn't, but because he could see that Tucker had grabbed a hold of him again. Danny frowned in frustration and puzzlement. Just how could his friend keep him from moving in his ghost form when he had never been able to do that before? And that's when Danny finally noticed that Tucker's forearms and hands were surrounded by a spectral green glow! And then, when his eyes traveled up his friend's left arm, his eyes widened and he gasped when he could see that his friend's shirt was badly torn at the shoulder and there was fresh blood on the fabric. And Tucker's exposed shoulder had a dully-glowing red scar on it. But it wasn't bleeding!

Danny couldn't have known that the Angelus's sword had more than one function—just as the Angeli had more than one emotion battling for control of their minds—and that the flaming sword had cauterized Tucker's wound, while sending healing energy through it at the same time.

But before Danny could look back at his friend's face, Tucker let go of him at what happened next.

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In the meanwhile, Angelus-bellator had finally been able to fly up to and hover in front of the unconscious human girl.

After all that time he had wanted to meet her—and now that the time had come—his face puckered in confusion and even in shock and disappointment at the sight of her; and as it was his nature, his mind became distracted from his task. He would have thought that Ad Femina would have been...bigger…or at least, glowing because he was certain that she had to have been a spirit because she had spirit energy.

But here she was, a tiny, insignificant, even hapless, human creature bound in Ĉasista's webbing! He even thought his _Parvuli_ were better than humans!

But then, he grew angry at the chance glance at the webbing as his thoughts radically shifted. His mind was suddenly filled with hatred for Ĉasista as he raised his sword, ready to slashed downward, when he was distracted yet again by an anxious male voice…

"NO!"

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In all this time, Evil Dan and Vlad had looked on helplessly to everything that had been happening for the past what-seemed-to-be very, very long minutes. Though they both had recovered a bit more from Ĉasista's attack and had been trying to break free, they were still not fully-healed and had to stop when they were struggling and tiring from the effort. And that meant that they had to be unwitting spectators, but only to what had been happening immediately in front of them.…

First, Ĉasista had Danny pinned to the ground and was about to impale him, when they all looked up in shock after a portion of the ceiling several yards from them evaporated in a cloud of purple energy!

The two didn't know why until they heard _Clockwork's_ _voice_ echoing downward into the new hole. Why the Time Master had come was beyond them. Nevertheless, both of them took the opportunity to struggle with their bindings yet again, only to be stilled when they heard the intense battle between Ĉasista and Clockwork erupt.

They couldn't see any of the battle because most of the ceiling above and in front of them was still intact. And that made them even more anxious. All they could do was continue to struggle or glance up at the shadows bleeding into the hole or back down at Danny, who had not been able to even sit up after depleting his core of energy.

Ironically, each of the evil ghosts had similar thoughts about that:

" _C'mon, boy, you're stronger than this!"_ Vlad thought only to himself, even when he had been addressing Danny.

" _Perhaps I should have told you where your puppy love was sooner and maybe you would've have had the time to outwit even that witch!"_ the future Phantom dryly thought, unconsciously speaking to the boy.

Their cores jumped a bit when the boy began to rouse and sat up…and then did nothing for several minutes after that.

But then, each of the older ghosts noticed that the sounds of the fight had stopped, only to startle a bit a few minutes later when a very large winged creature, which looked very strong and, more importantly, very fierce had suddenly swooped into the lair from the hole in the roof.

" _That can't be good!"_ Vlad slightly fretted before he growled in frustration because he was still defenseless.

Evil Dan was just as worried about this new development but he nevertheless squared his chin and thought, _"I don't care to know what that thing is, but if it's here to do more trouble, it will soon find out that I can still give it as much trouble back!"_

However, the flying spirit was not even halfway to them when the two older ghosts jerked their heads in surprise from seeing the creature radically alter its course after an energy ray seemed to have come from nowhere and hit it.

Each of them unconsciously smirked after they followed the trajectory of the beam back to its origin. The youngest hybrid had been able to rouse enough to try to stop this creature! For how long, they didn't know, but at least it was enough of a distraction for them to try to break free again and before the winged creature got to them.

When they had to rest from their struggles to break free yet again, however, it became very obvious that the boy was actually having only a one-sided fight with that winged creature. They had no clue why that creature hadn't fought back, but they still watched on anxiously. After all, Evil Dan had never encountered an Angelus before; and Vlad's memory about the Angelus had been wiped clean!

And then, each of them couldn't believe it when the boy's friend, Tucker, had suddenly appeared and was floating downward—all the while holding a large feather from the Angelus of all things—before he plowed right into the young hybrid and was actually fighting with him!

Once again, the two older ghosts could see that the terrifying Angelus was nearing them. But instead of heading to either of them, the creature turned sharply toward the human girl!

Only Evil Dan could see what was happening at this point as his ĉerko blocked most of Vlad's view.

Though the future Phantom was partially relieved that the creature wasn't after him, something in the pit of his stomach wasn't satisfied that the creature had picked the hapless, still-unconscious girl as his target. And then, the creature was hovering in place before he raised his sword up to the girl in a strike position!

"NO!" the future Phantom found himself blurting out.

Angelus-bellator narrowed his eyes and hissed, "Silentium!" **[3]** before he aimed his sword at the future Phantom. A powerful red energy beam bellowed from out of the flaming sword and struck the ghost, knocking him out!

Vlad startled at the assault on the ghost next to him and renewed his efforts to try to break free. But he only hissed when that hurt his core yet again and he had to rest once more!

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In the meanwhile, Danny had not seen Angelus-bellator attack Evil Dan because he was still not thinking straight and had been distracted by the glow surrounding Tucker's forearms and hands.

But _Tucker_ had seen it. And he had bitten his lip and not cried out because he still trusted the spirit in spite of his worry over his unpredictable action just now. He tried to resist his doubts. And then, his eyes widened when the Angelus lifted his sword again and then it came downward!

Suddenly, Tucker pointed and yelled with relief, "Look what's happening!"

When Danny looked up, his eyes also widened even as every muscle in his body tensed...

Now that the winged spirit was no longer distracted, he looked back at the unconscious girl. He raised his sword once again and swiftly slashed downward.

Every fiber of webbing that made contact with the flaming red sword yielded as easily as a warm knife went through butter.

The silent girl immediately slipped out, only to be caught by the spirit.

He easily and gently cradled her head in the nook of his elbow while her torso lay on the plank of his forearm and her legs hung listless over the side. Her skin was very pale and she was barely breathing, which bothered him—even though he really didn't know why. Nevertheless, he turned around so that he was facing away from the wall and hovered in place.

Not knowing what else to do at the moment, he mentally addressed her, _"Ad Femina?"_

But when she didn't answer, he reached out and gingerly touched her face.

But when she didn't respond again, he quickly pulled his hand back in reluctance and then gasped. There was red liquid on his hand that looked like the one that had been on that male human's shoulder! And he could sense her weakening aura…He growled with a mixture of worry and agitation. Ad Femina was seriously injured and he could tell it was because of Ĉasista!

That, and the memory of seeing Tucker in pain from his wound, stirred the embers of his soul. And just as two emotions began to thicken like smoke from a fire in his mind, he began to meld back into Angelus-alvus, and unconsciously started to float down with the unconscious girl still in his arms. These emotions were so strong that for the first time, he could feel their energy completely filling his consciousness. And they were much more intense than when they had occurred before: when he saw the human boy's wound and his reaction to it.

He _pitied_ the hapless Ad Femina so much that he _regretted_ once more for ever hating her. And it didn't matter that Ad Femina was a mere human, which had repulsed him when he first saw her! He paused at another feeling. The human boy was right. He _was_ …grateful to her, so much so that he felt compelled to repay her.

His mind and soul now filled with gratefulness, he concentrated on his task. He reached within himself, searching for something that might help her. He touched his empathetic side and in it was a healing power he didn't know he possessed. But he immediately called it forward and outward.

In the meanwhile, the Angelus's descent was taking longer than Danny wanted and it was all that he could do not to try to fly upward—even when he really thought he wouldn't be able to do it anyways.

Suddenly, Danny stiffened more and reached for and unconsciously grasped Tucker's left, once-injured shoulder.

Tucker, who kept his eyes peeled on the spirit after Danny had stopped fighting him, merely cocked his head slightly when he felt his friend's hand on his shoulder. After all, he no longer had any pain in that arm and could use it as well as he had before his injury, now even better when he used his spirit energy!

And even though at this point the spirit energy around his arms and hands had dissipated, he, too, tensed slightly…

A brilliant golden orb had just escaped from the spirit's mouth and was then immediately caught by him before he pushed it gently toward the girl. The orb continued on its floating track until it kissed her mouth and disappeared.

Not a split second later, Sam's entire body was surrounded by a golden aura and levitated above the Angelus's arm before the aura slowly dissipated and her body slowly descended back to his arm.

And then the Angelus, still gently cradling the girl while continuing to hover several feet from the floor of the lair, telepathically yet anxiously called out to her, _"Ad Femina?"_

The winged spirit's fretting face relaxed when he could see that the girl's face had wrinkled up in confusion at hearing a foreign male voice echoing in her mind.

Still confused, Sam then mentally answered, _"Ad Femina? Who or what is that? And-And who are you? Do-Do I know you?"_

But before the Angelus could telepathically reply, the girl furrowed her brow at a strange yet calming sensation, slowly opened her eyes, and answered her own question, "Yes, I know you! You're…You're Angelus-alvus! But how did you…uh, why…?"

"I have only helped you just a little when you have helped me a great deal more, Mistress Sam," He simply said with a wisp of a smile.

"I-I don't understand," the girl began, reflexively cradling her still-slightly whirling head, "The last thing I remember was that awful spider trying to invade my mind, and I was trying to keep her from doing that and then there was so much pain that I felt as if my brain was about to burst."

She gulped when she caught the Angelus's next thoughts before looking up at him and wincing, "M-My brain did kinda burst, huh?"

"I know that now since we are fully connected, Mistress," the spirit quietly said. "But as you also already know, you are no longer harmed or have any ill-effects from it."

Sam blinked in disbelief at the spirit; and she really didn't know what to think or say. But then, she smiled weakly when she saw the knowing look on the Angelus's face; and she didn't have to say anything because she knew that the Angelus felt that she was…as grateful as he was to her.

But then, another thought suddenly pushed forward and she gasped, "Tucker! Danny!"

"They are fine," another voice answered from above the spirit and the girl.

Sam's eyes widened when she and the spirit looked upward and exclaimed, "Clockwork?!" And then when she spied the still-frozen Ĉasista surrounded by still-frozen Angeli encased in a time bubble a few feet behind Clockwork that remained intact even when it had touched the ground, she stammered, "Ĉasista?! W-What…?"

"All will be explained," the Time Master gently interrupted her.

Then, the time spirit moved slightly to his right and the girl's line of vision was no longer blocked.

"Danny! Tucker!" Sam called out in relief, keeping her eyes glued on them as they finally rushed toward her and the others.

"Sam!" both of the boys yelled back in even more relief.

The girl, who was still being held by the Angelus, turned to him and quietly asked, "Could you please, uh, put me down?"

"Of course, Mistress Sam," he replied as he floated down and landed next to Adult Clockwork. He then let her slowly slip out of his hold. But he made sure he helped put the slightly-unsteady girl upright on the floor just as her friends reached her.

Danny and Tucker simultaneously embraced her and they hugged each other for what seemed eons but was only about a minute. They didn't need to speak even as tears were running down their faces because their hyper-charged telepathic connection easily conveyed their feelings at that moment.

But then, they pulled away, hurriedly wiped their tears away, and turned back to the spirits when they heard the Angelus speak—and he sounded angry!

The teens startled when they could see that the winged spirit had morphed back into Angelus-bellator in a blink of an eye. And he looked very threatening as he addressed Clockwork the Adult when he was now focused on what Clockwork had earlier done to him.

"I do not care to know who you are or why you have come, but you had no right to keep my kin and me from our actions above!" the winged spirit growled before he frowned in confusion at the group still frozen in time and added, "Though I do not understand how, you are indeed powerful enough to continue to freeze my kin above and Ĉasista here along with my kin still holding her, but not powerful enough to freeze the others that have been here below. But it makes no difference because our quarrel with Ĉasista is ours alone!"

Clockwork paused. He didn't want to explain right now that he could choose where to place his time spell because there were more important things to discuss, like the fact that he indeed did not know what kind of Angelus this one was because…he had only been in the domain once before… _long_ before this Angelus came to be. He was hopeful, however, that this Angelus was the right one. Still, he had to be cautious since the winged spirit was a formidable foe in his current state, even with the tremendous power pulsating in his Time Staff.

Adult Clockwork carefully replied, "I have no quarrel with the Angeli, but I, too, have a quarrel with Ĉasista."

Angelus-bellator frowned in suspicion, but then gasped in shock at the Time Master's sudden—and first—transformation for him since he had not yet seen Clockwork change.

He raised his flaming sword and shield in threat at Clockwork's oldest form and hurriedly demanded, "How is it that you know of my race? And how is it that you change like the Angeli when you are not an Angelus, but, indeed, are a powerful spirit? How is it that you have a quarrel with the Guardian when I have never heard of you? And Ĉasista has never even spoken about her own past, much less spoke of any other spirit such as you! How do I not know with certainty that by coming here you merely wish to be our conqueror?!"

"True, much needs to be explained; but I can assure you that I have no interest in conquering you. I have another purpose," Clockwork quietly replied before noticing a slight tremble that had just pulsed through his staff.

Nevertheless, the Time Master secretly smirked. This Angelus was certainly unique. From what he knew about the Angeli, they could never make two sentences make sense together. And this one had many other dormant talents that he didn't seem to be aware of. Healing Sam was one. Recognizing spirits and spirits energy was another. Was there more? He paused in thought. He was certain that Ĉasista also knew that this Angelus was different…but must have had her reasons for not…

But Old Man Clockwork's thoughts were interrupted by the still-angry Angelus.

"It does not matter what your purpose is, because I will not have you interfere with me and my kin. We have been under the cruel guardianship of Ĉasista for far too long!"

"I completely agree," Clockwork replied without any hint of emotion before changing to his youngest side.

Angelus-bellator gasped in shock once again at the Time Master's sudden transformation and raised his sword in threat.

Clockwork remained calm nevertheless, even when he slightly grasped his Time Staff more when it vibrated slightly.

"W-Who are you?" the Angelus demanded. "I know you are connected to..." The winged spirit hesitated when he suddenly knew the name of the human boy who had been able to convince him to help when he hadn't before because he had not asked him! Still, he continued, "I know you are somehow connected to Human Tucker and he called you 'Clockwork'….He paused again and frowned at his next thought, which he then uttered, "…and Mistress Sam knows of you, but I do not trust you as well as they!"

"You have a right _not_ to trust me and you have even more right to know who I am, Angelus-bellator," Clockwork replied. "But explaining who I am is not important at the moment."

Not at all satisfied at the Time Master's answer, the winged spirit said with more suspicion and indignation, "How do you know how to address me?".

"As I said to…Mistress Sam and you...all will be explained," Clockwork coolly answered as he turned into his adult form.

Though the Angelus startled at the Time Master's transformation yet again, he perchance glanced at Sam shortly thereafter. When he saw her slight, yet assuring, smile in return, he calmed down a bit and actually lowered his shield and sword slightly.

Clockwork never flinched even when he clearly saw what happened. He knew now that things would shortly be coming to be, as they were meant to be…Still, he calmly added, "But first, allow me to speak with 'the Guardian' before you make any more decisions."

One of the Angelus's eyebrows arched up in a mixture of suspicion and surprise. First, this foreign spirit was interfering with him and his kin, and now he was _asking_ for his permission? He didn't understand this twist in events at all! He felt his thoughts become muddled again. But when he actually looked to Ad Femina for help this time, his eyes widened slightly. He could actually _feel_ that she was encouraging him to trust this foreign spirit even when he honestly didn't know how! Still, he couldn't deny that Mistress Sam wasn't questioning this foreign spirit even after all that Clockwork had said so far. Her confidence actually calmed him down; and for the first time, he averted becoming angry whenever he got confused. And as he melded back into Angelus-alvus, he slowly nodded his consent. Nevertheless, he kept his eyes fixed on the Time Master.

The adult Clockwork quickly floated back to the virtual statue made up of various-colored, spell-bound Angeli surrounding and restraining an equally spell-bound Ĉasista. He pulled out a time medallion and, oddly, first brought it to his Time Staff. He briefly touched them together and a deep purple aura immediately encased the pendant before it penetrated the medallion.

As Clockwork became old, he frowned privately when his staff trembled more shortly after that. Nevertheless, he pressed on and tossed a time medallion around the spider's thick, short neck.

Instantly, the she-spirit was animated, but she growled when she could not move much and twisted her insectoid head to search the reason why. Her eyes narrowed when she tugged against the force binding her and still could not move! It was as if she was had been placed in concrete made up of frozen Angeli! She could not know that Clockwork had only placed her partially into time so that he could speak with her while keeping her restrained.

Then she looked back up and glared at the Time Master. She would not be cowered by him or any other creature here!

She sneered, ""You think you are so clever, Time Master, but you must know that you cannot defeat Ĉasista!"

Clockwork wasn't going to give her the pleasure of controlling this encounter, and so, he purposely didn't answer her.

Instead, he briefly pointed in turn each to Evil Dan, Vlad and Danny and tersely replied with a poker-face, "First of all, La Unua **[4]** , you are to return the powers you stole from these three ghosts."

Ĉasista growled in anger when he addressed her as 'La Unua' again and for not only _not_ answering her, but also changing the subject! True, at the moment she was not in any position to deny him—at least, not yet. When she got her gem back, she would…

But she controlled her impulse to threaten him. Better to humor the foolish male for now until she could make her move to destroy all of these pests, especially the Angelus for being such an ingrate to her…tolerance!

Nevertheless, she couldn't control all of her emotions and hissed back, "From all of the power you still temporarily hold until it is mine again, Time Master, you should sense that Ĉasista cannot return the energy the two ghosts still in their ĉerkos _willingly_ gave to her because their powers are destructive in nature and cannot be unbound."

Then briefly gesturing to Danny, Old Man Clockwork pressed with a staid face, "Then what about the boy?"

The spider glanced at her developing eggs and hissed indignantly, "You dare harm the ghostly life that is still hidden in their shells and nursed by that power?!"

"Even if they become evil, it has never been my intention to harm them," Clockwork the Child countered. "But undoubtedly, you agree that _helpful_ powers are never fully absorbed by your…eggs. There is always extra left. So, you are to restore any excess to the boy."

He held up his Time Staff; and as it began to glow and trembled a bit, he added, "And be assured that I will be ready for any treachery!"

La Unua's eyes twitched in agitation. Her reflexive thought was to refuse. But then, she knew that at least for now the Time Master could force her to do what he was demanding even when she was still a spirit with great powers. She would not be able to resist now that she was no longer omnipotent as she had been with the gem…Still…she had…options.

She glanced at the glowing Time Staff and smirked only to herself, _"Hmm…such a 'master of time', eh, fool? You do not know anything!"_

Nevertheless, she all but spat out, "Very well! Though it pleases Ĉasista for you to know the fact that the returned power will not be the same in intensity or quality!"

The spider felt Timeless Magic releasing only a specific power of hers. Her aura brightened briefly before a small beam of red light shot out from the middle of all of her eyes and softly touched the blue-glowing eggs. The soft energy never so much as nudged the eggs, but seemed to gently caress them instead. A core-beat later, a very small orb of blue light formed above them.

But before La Unua could do anything more, another, thicker beam of purple light gently scooped up and enveloped that blue orb before the purple ray retracted and then moved toward Danny!

Danny, of course, was slightly apprehensive about what Clockwork was doing; but in the end, he trusted his mentor. He gently released his friends and stepped forward before readying himself as the small orb, guided by Clockwork's Time Staff, approached his mouth.

The young half-ghost nervously glanced at young Clockwork when he suddenly was unsure. Nevertheless, he swallowed thickly and slightly parted his lips just before the orb entered his mouth.

A barely cool energy swept through the boy as the orb traveled downward to his core. A split second later, he felt his core absorb the weakened healing power. Unfortunately, what Ĉasista said was true: the power was definitely weaker and felt…imperfect…especially when the throbbing pain in his core insignificantly lessened.

His friends then stepped back next to him.

Satisfied, and as he was changing to his adult form, Clockwork raised his staff in threat and commanded, "That is enough!"

Ĉasista could feel the power binding all of her powers tighten again. Still, she smirked to herself when she could sense that the binding power was… _much_ different. In fact, she noticed something more important. Nevertheless, she kept her eyes glued on the Time Spirit.

The most youthful Clockwork then turned to Angelus-alvus and said, "I have one more task before we finish our business here. If you will…permit me?"

Now struck that this was the second time this powerful spirit who could somehow control Ĉasista was asking for his permission, the winged spirit replied, "I will permit it!"

Suddenly, however, Clockwork's Time Staff began to shake before purple sparks erupted from it. Even in his adult form, Clockwork was having difficulty holding it steady.

Danny's, Sam's and Tucker's eyes widened. Was this something Clockwork had planned? If so, then the Time Spirit was just as suddenly not looking as stoic as he usually did!

"Man, he sure would lose at poker right now," Tucker couldn't help but mutter from the side of his mouth to only his friends.

"Let's just hope that it's only poker 'at stake'," Danny worriedly whispered back.

Sam, though just as concerned as her friends, especially now that Clockwork was needing both hands to try to stop his staff from shaking, remained quiet and watched on. She could feel the Time Master's apprehension at this obviously unplanned development.

But then, the Time Staff returned to its more static state a few moments later.

Old Man Clockwork bit the inside of his lower lip slightly and started back in the direction he had originally intended to go before his staff seemed to…malfunction. He had a hunch why and knew he had to hurry.

He flew over to the two older ghosts who were still entrapped in their ĉerkos and ended up in front of Evil Dan, who by now had recovered from the Angelus's attack.

Young Clockwork narrowed his red pupilless eyes and said, "Though I can't honestly say that I am disappointed at the fact that Ĉasista was indeed unable to return the powers she stole from you—which may, ironically, make you re-think your egotism— at least I can take back the thing you stole from me!"

"Don't think that is the end, Clockwork!" The future Phantom replied with a smirk even as the time spirit was reaching toward the time medallion around his neck that had been exposed ever since Ĉasista had attacked and ripped his costume.

Clockwork-as-an-adult didn't comment as he wrapped his hand around the medallion just moments from pulling it off of the ghost.

"And don't think that this is the end, either, Danny!" Dan yelled out just as he was dematerializing and returning back to his own timeline.

The Time Master then floated sideways over to Vlad Plasmius.

"If you just want to lecture me, save your breath, spirit," Vlad immediately hissed before coughing a bit.

The older hybrid was still bitter over the Time Master's role when he was a prisoner of the Observants.

Old Man Clockwork didn't answer him and merely raised his Time Staff. However, once again, it suddenly had more small sparks and a few flames now besides shaking more violently than the other previous times. The spirit had to grasp it with two hands again to keep it from literally jumping out of them! But a few moments later it settled down.

Though quite alarmed at the phenomenon, Plasmius still managed to utter with bravado, "I don't need or want your help and if you think I'll let you touch me, I'll—"

"Oh, please," the time spirit's youngest form interrupted him, sounding bored. "Don't tempt me to leave you to your boast, you ungrateful and pompous creature! And make no mistake: I'm not doing this for _your_ sake!"

A deep purple ray shot out from the top of the Time Staff and a portal formed. Another purple ray followed that one and struck Vlad's ĉerko, and it instantly vaporized.

Vlad growled in irritation when he couldn't take flight even if he wanted to because his core was still very injured. He knew he wouldn't be able to destroy Ĉasista like he had planned once he had gotten free. His face reddened in both aggravation and embarrassment when he was suddenly encased and then already being lifted upward by a purple energy bubble which was attached to another beam emanating from Clockwork's staff. A few moments later, Vlad's receptacle was penetrating the portal and then disappeared behind it before the portal itself disappeared moments later.

As soon as the older hybrid was gone, the adult Clockwork's time staff jerked violently again and then the upper part of it actually caught fire! Once more, Clockwork grabbed it more firmly, only this time, the spirit could feel the purple flames licking at his hands as he tried to control it! He gritted his teeth and squelched the desire to cry out from the pain not only brushing his hands but also now riveting throughout his entire body! After all, he had never been sure whether he would have been able to meld the _Sfero de Ĥaoso_ gem with the jewel within his own time staff and the Observant's Timeless Magic combined orb, much less control it. But he knew he had been stretching his luck all this time because too much Timeless Magic—like he was wielding now—was never a good thing!

But the Time Master would not let go of it even when he heard Ĉasista cackle, "What a fool you are, Time Master, for trying to not only control a power that does not belong to you, but too much combined Timeless Magic as well! Ha-hah! Soon, the gem of the _Sfero de Ĥaoso_ will consume the other gems before it will consume you. And then, it will be with its rightful wielder yet again! All that you have done will be in vain, for Ĉasista will rule once more and her plans will be completed!"

Then, much to the chagrin of Clockwork, Danny, Sam and Tucker—and much to the bewilderment of Angelus-alvus—the time spell's aura that was around the Angeli still frozen and yet clinging to and holding the spider begin to wane. The aura flickered in-and-out of sight; and each time it flicked 'off', the Angeli began to move. And every time it switched back 'on', the Angeli froze.

However, each time the Angeli thawed a bit, Ĉasista pulled away from them. She already had a quick and evil plan laid out in her mind. She knew that Clockwork must have already suspected by now that the gem that had once been secure under her abdomen demanded a master _only_ from the _Sfero de Ĥaoso!_

In spite of the fact that Old Man Clockwork struggled for control of his staff even when he felt that it may explode any moment, he managed to reply in an almost eerie kind of calmness like the one felt right before a storm, "Ironical, is it not, La Unua, that for once in a very long time, I have to agree with you! The gem will have to remain here…"

He then struggled to hold his terrifyingly pulsating staff with one hand and reach toward the top with the other.

The teens' eyes widened in disbelief when it was clear that the Time Spirit was going to willingly give the gem back to Ĉasista! Sam, however, then frowned slightly in thought.

Danny tried to fly to interfere, but a sharp pain stabbed at his core at the effort and he halted in his steps.

Nevertheless, the young hybrid couldn't help but scream out, "No, Clockwork!" as the Time Master firmly grasped the gem striding the top of the other Timeless Magic artifacts.

The male spirit hissed in pain and his forms changed in rapid succession as he struggled to pull the _Sfero de Ĥaoso_ gem off of his staff. A sickening sizzle echoed through the atmosphere as the supercharged energy seared the ghostly flesh of Clockwork's left hand!

Up to this time, Angelus-alvus had been too shocked by the events to do anything but watch. But he was suddenly overwhelmed with apprehension after hearing and even smelling the results of the Time Master's touching the top of the staff. He had no idea why Clockwork would do that, except maybe that was where the gem that Ĉasista had mentioned and wanted! After all, he—and really no one else— had seen Clockwork retrieve or place the gem on his staff at the time.

But as soon as Clockwork had touched the gem, the Angelus startled when he heard a voice in his head.

It was Ad Femina!

Unbeknownst to everyone, Sam, who was still too weak to have even tried to block her telepathic and empathic powers since she had been healed, could practically palpate Clockwork's feelings and, more importantly, his thoughts!

And now, Angelus-alvus was aware of those same thoughts and feelings!

Suddenly, several things happened at nearly the same time:

Clockwork yelled out in more pain and fell to the ground with his hand still clutching the _Sfero de Ĥaoso_ gem; the time spell completely dispelled and the Angeli holding onto Ĉasista, which were dazed by the event, inadvertently let go of the spider; and Ĉasista practically flew over to Clockwork, ready to yank the gem from him!

However, just as one of her claws was about to sever the time spirit's hand, the she-spider screeched in rage and disbelief.

In the very next instant, Angelus-alvus swooped down, shoved her claw away, grabbed the gem from Clockwork, and anchored it in a niche in the front of his gown that had originally only looked like some kind of a sun!

Though the teens were frightened, they ran up to Clockwork and helped him up. But their eyes widened and they gasped when they saw the _Sfero de Ĥaoso_ gem light up. Multicolored and brightly-glowing rays traveled up the once 'empty' tracks that had been already imprinted upon the front of the Angelus's gown before they completely encased the spirit's body. His gown remained blue, his hair and wings remained white, and his spectral skin remained peach in color. But his feet were now shod within blue boots. And his eyes and aura were no longer red. Instead, they were as if they had become prisms as they undulated in bright multiple colors.

"NO!" Ĉasista screamed as she lunged at the winged spirit this time!

But the Angelus-alvus was swifter and soared upward. He hovered up high from everyone, raised his hands over his head and loudly commanded in Latin:

" _Hiberent!"_ **[5]**

An orb of energy made up of bright prism-like colors quickly formed between his hands before a large beam spewed out from it, rapidly travelling down until it slammed into the she-spider, freezing her in her tracks before shrinking her to about half her original size!

" _Nec ultra!"_ **[6]** the winged spirit then cried out before he sent more energy into Ĉasista.

In the next several moments, Ĉasista's body contorted bizarrely. And then it began to twist and turn and change in appearance.

The teens gasped when the transformation was complete.

Ĉasista was now a shadow of what once was a terrifying spider. Instead, she was a black blob of a spirit, looking similar to a Malofta or Malforta, only that she had piercing red eyes.

"NOO!" La Unua wailed even as she fell to the ground groveling in lamentation. "He cannot have it! It belongs to Ĉasista! It is hers! Hers!"

However, she stopped and looked up when she heard the Angelus command in his native tongue, only his voice was now soft, "Come here, my children!"

Suddenly the sound of multiple flapping wings resounded inside of Ĉasista's lair. All those still on the ground felt a huge wave of air whistle through before a host of Angeli was alighting or hovering around Angelus-alvus, who was now in the center of them. Other spirits hovered above the hole in the ceiling.

Tucker in particular was amazed that every single one of the Angeli gave their full attention to Angelus-alvus and none of them wavered in their thoughts or actions. But the most amazing thing was that they were all dressed in white gowns!

Nevertheless, the teen also remained focused on what Angelus-alvus then said, even when it was in Latin and he didn't understand any of it, "Take this she-devil to the bowels of her abode until I contemplate on what to do with her!" He then looked at the others and added, "And, now, my children, please leave me at peace with the strangers for a moment."

As most of the Angeli took flight out of the damaged ceiling, several others grabbed a piece of La Unua's aura, anchored their grip on it, and hastily guided her out of the area and down below.

Once she and the Angeli were gone, Angelus-alvus floated down to the ground next to the teens and Clockwork.

His multi-colored aura dulled but he did not change forms.

Sam could feel the spirit's sadness and confusion and she softly asked him, "What's wrong, Angelus-alvus? You saved us and all of your kin!"

The others accompanying the girl first looked at her when she spoke and then to the Angelus.

The Angelus's eyes fell to the ground when he knew she had felt his emotions, but he gently replied, "You do me justice calling me Angelus-alvus, Mistress Sam, even when my appearance has not changed from what you felt. And yet, oddly, I feel that I should have changed because I know I am no longer Angelus-alvus. I am Angelus- _incertus_ and Angelus- _tristitia_ **[7]** all at once!"

The winged spirit then looked up at her and glanced briefly at the others before confessing with some exasperation lacing his voice, "Though at the time I acted against Ĉasista and I knew what to do, I am disturbed because I do not know how nor why I acted nor what I did to Ĉasista!"

"I believe I can explain all of this," Young Clockwork piped in just as he transformed into his adult version.

The Angelus was so eager to find out some answers to his dilemma that he wasn't upset about the Time Master's transformation this time.

Danny, Sam and Tucker were also eager to know. Reflexively, they all sat down where they were.

The winged spirit and time spirit, however, remained standing while Clockwork began…

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 **[1]** **Latin for: Warrior Angel** **. Angelus-bellator looks nothing like his calmer persona, Angelus-alvus. In fact, this is how Angelus-bellator looks:** **Angelus-bellator was no longer clad in a flowing, long-sleeved, floor-length gown. And his feet were no longer bare as they always were yet always hidden by his now-absent gown. Now, his Angelus body was clothed in a short-sleeve tunic that just covered his shoulders and fell and flared out several inches below his hips but well above his knees. That tunic, however, was covered by a heavier tunic made of metal. The short-sleeves of his metallic tunic protected the top of the Angelus's shoulders in mail armor that was designed to resemble short plumage. His torso was so tightly swathed in armor that it looked as if his tense, strong and well-defined abdominal muscles were visible and made of steel instead of spectral flesh. And that metal piece ended just below his waist and inter-meshed seamlessly to a very short skirt of armor layered similarly to that on his sleeves, only that the plumage was longer. A red cape known as a** _ **paludamentum**_ **was securely fastened to the metal tunic at his right shoulder. The flowing cape didn't interfere with his wings as it fell to well-past his knees. Strong, thick, red battle sandals that laced up to mid-calf of each of his legs, called** _ **caligae,**_ **shod his feet** _ **.**_ **And his fire-color hair was now caught completely up under his** _ **galea**_ **, or helmet. The rest of him, which was his skin, wings and eyes, were now in the same hue of red.**

 **[2] Latin for: "Attack!"**

 **[3] Latin for: "Silence!"**

 **[4] Hope you remember that that is Esperanto for 'The First One'.**

 **[5] Latin for: "Stop!"**

 **[6] Latin for "No more!"**

 **[7] Latin for 'Bewildered Angel' followed by 'Angel of Sadness'.**

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 **A/N: Well, dear readers, there you have it. The climax of this story! I hope it was exciting for you and surprised you as well! However, never fear, there is a bit more to come. And I hope you stay tuned until the very end. In the meantime, feel free to keep in tune with** _ **me**_ **by relaying your thoughts in that junction box down below! It will energize me! Until next time, thanks for all of your support.**


	32. Chapter 32 The Legend of La Unua

**A/N: Well, dear readers, this story is ALMOST through—but not yet! And I wouldn't be a nice writer if I didn't answer some of the questions that might have popped up in your brains while reading this story. Well, of course, I did throw in some covert teasers now and then to start those questions in your brains and set you up for this chapter (Gee, does that still qualify me as a '** _ **nice'**_ **writer, then?) Ahem. Anyhoo, since I introduced one original character and re-introduced another original character, it is only fair that I give you their history. It is a bit complicated, but I hope you like it. And there are some spoilers in here about some of my earlier stories. But before I do, let me do that cliché disclaimer that "I don't own any DP characters"; but I do own this story and original characters! So, without further ado, here is chapter 32. Enjoy the show!**

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Entanglement—Chapter 32—The Legend of La Unua

Once everyone was settled, a staid, young Clockwork addressed the Angelus, "First of all, I need to apologize to you…" He then turned to the teens and added, "…and, really, to all of you."

Angelus-alvus frowned in confusion; and the teens' eyes widened because they couldn't guess why the Time Master would apologize to them. In fact, Danny, Sam and Tucker had never witnessed Clockwork ever apologizing to _anyone_ ; even so, they couldn't know that it was something the Time Master _rarely_ did.

All the same, everyone remained silent and focused as the time spirit spoke on, "And I really do not think that an apology will be sufficient enough after all that has happened, which is still regrettable. Nevertheless, I will tell you the entire truth as I know of it, no matter how long that may take."

Sam, meanwhile, couldn't help but feel the anxiety level of everyone here; but she was especially surprised that the most anxious of them all was Clockwork! However, she said nothing because in all of this time, she had been too weak to block any of her telepathic and empathic powers, especially when she hadn't asked for that extra boost of those same powers she got after Angelus-alvus had healed her of her brain injuries. Still, the stress from those feelings fatigued her more and so, she leaned against Danny. He, in turn, reflexively put his left arm around her waist and pulled her slightly closer.

"What I am about to say is a legend, but as all legends go, they may or may not have an underlying truth to them. Foremost of concern in that legend is Ĉasista," the Adult Clockwork said, mainly addressing the winged spirit, "How she looks now is her true form because she is a shape-shifter spirit, that is, she can change forms."

The teens slightly bit their lower lips at the news. After all, they knew of at least three shape-shifting ghosts, which were known as mockingbird ghosts: Bertrand, Amorpho and Molly Mockingbird **[1]**. Still, they said nothing as the Time Master continued…

"She has always been able to change her forms since she began; and when that was, no one really knows. However, I can tell you that she was once an Ancient."

"An ancient?" Angelus-alvus suddenly questioned.

Old Man Clockwork pursed his lips slightly. Obviously, much about La Unua had been kept from even the Angelus, and he knew it was from her own wicked plans.

And then, he tensed a bit when he all of the sudden he felt his time staff shudder slightly. But he quickly relaxed since he knew that this was probably due to the fact that his power was regenerating on its own again before the Sfero de Ĥaoso's atmosphere would leach it away.

Nevertheless, he patiently answered the winged spirit, "Eons ago, even before I came to be…"

All of the teens' eyebrows arched slightly in surprise as they thought the same thing: There was a time when Clockwork _hadn't_ existed? They didn't think that was possible! Still they didn't comment…

Clockwork noticed their reaction and began again, "Eons ago, even before I or any other creature came to be, there was the Ghost Zone. And even I am not privy on when or how it was formed. But then, several very powerful Ancients—thirteen in fact—were created by the first Ancient. They oversaw the balance of the Ghost Zone. Each Ancient had a specific role as well. One Ancient was in charge of the Ghost Zone's physical laws, such as its rotation, including how it coordinates with the rotation of the Real World and time as well. Another was in charge of the relationship between the ethereal sun and moon here. Then an Ancient was in charge of all of the ghostly land and nourishment for the ghosts. Still another was in charge of the weather and other atmospheric phenomena and the others were overseers of the magic and energy in each section of the Ghost Zone …"

He paused briefly and then added with a bit of annoyance, "And then, there was La Unua.."

"La Unua?" Angelus-alvus again interrupted.

Young Clockwork answered, "La Unua is Ĉasista's real name…In your language, it would be _Prima_." **[2]**

And when the Time Master briefly glanced at the teens and could tell that they were eager to know what all that meant but were doing their best not to interrupt, he added, "Which means 'The First One' in human-speak."

He turned back to the other male spirit and continued, "I really should have started explaining about her at the beginning; but I wanted to make sure you understood who the Ancients were, especially when La Unua _was_ that _first_ one…"

He paused a slight moment before he pushed on, "…In fact, not only did she create all the other Ancients, she also created all of the first non-human spirits and ghosts that are within the Ghost Zone or at its fringes."

"You mean that Ĉasista created the Angeli?" the winged spirit slightly gasped in surprise before he blinked, trying to comprehend it all.

As Clockwork changed to his adult form, he replied, "Yes, and all of the three other races of spirits: the Observants, the Spectre and the Far Frozen Folk."

No longer being able to just listen silently, Danny blurted out in disbelief, "Frostbite's Ĉasista's, er, I mean La Unua's, uh, son?"

"And Justeco and Konsilisto?" Tucker piped in, just as shocked.

"And Spirto?" Sam added.

"Yes…and no," Old Man Clockwork cryptically answered them before he elaborated, "La Unua did indeed create the first of each of the spirit races, but…" He glanced over to the still-developing spider eggs and continued, "…not in the later times."

The youthful Time Master paused and looked back at the Angelus before he added, "You see, like I told you, she is a shape-shifting spirit; and she chose for her own reasons to be a spider whenever she was creating new after-life—" He then pointed to the eggs and continued, "—as you can plainly see. Maybe it was because her spider form was the most powerful one...She had to create them from her own energy at first and she fed them directly from the Ghost Zone's own energy. The type of energy she siphoned from various areas of the Ghost Zone, plus fragments of her own DNA, which, by the way, could also shape-shift, would determine what kind of creature she would create—whether it was a spirit or a non-human ghost. Most of the eggs that she fed produced a single Ancient, spirit or non-human ghost. But on rare occasions, an egg would split and twins would form…and even rarer, triplets."

"All of her initial 'children' were spirits like her; and those first spirits were indeed the Ancients. And all five of those spirit races were all level-ten in power. She created the Ancients first because she was not particularly interested in any other duty except to create new after-life... She didn't realize until much later how ironical it was that she created such powerful creatures."

Angelus-alvus's face contorted into a frown since he didn't understand what the time spirit had just said.

Danny, Tucker, and Sam were just as lost.

Clockwork the Adult didn't miss their reactions and he was quick to assure them, "I will get to what I mean in due time."

Sam then shifted her weight a bit more so that she was leaning against Danny more than she had in the beginning. After all, she was still very drained from this event and was getting more tired.

Danny, in turn, also moved a bit, slid his left arm up to and around her shoulder, and then squeezed her slightly before he re-settled. After all, he didn't want to miss a thing that Clockwork was saying.

Tucker noticed Danny's slight move without losing any track on what the Time Master was saying. But then, he was also aware that he needed to shift a little. And when he did, he noticed that he seemed to be stuck where he was sitting. He frowned as he leaned more to his right and felt something 'give'. He bent over and glanced quickly to his left hip, only to roll his eyes when he could see a string of slime sticking to him. He scooted more to his right and tried to ignore the slight tug to his left hip.

In all this time, Clockwork clutched his time staff when it pulsed but never stopped speaking…

"All of her 'new' children lived in the same part of the Ghost Zone and La Unua even picked her favorites to be the leaders of their particular race. And all seemed well until—as it usually is when you have a multitude of imperfect, yet sentient, creatures gathered together—conflict among them arose."

The young Clockwork paused momentarily before he looked at the teens this time and continued, "Unfortunately and again, ironically, the first conflict that arose was created by La Unua herself! She already knew that she had the highest, really immeasurable, level of power than the others. In fact, that was a source of her dark pride. She felt that since _she_ had been the one who had created so many different, yet unique, kinds of spirits, she had the right to make all the decisions for them."

"At first, all of the other young Ancients and spirits didn't object for they respected her as their mother, had made her head of the Ancients, and sought her counsel. And indeed, at first, La Unua's guidance was indeed helpful, and some might say, even wise.

Old Man Clockwork turned back to the Angelus and added, "But then, eventually, some of the spirits and Ancients began to disagree with her more often than they had in the beginning. Sometimes their disagreements were reasonable and sometimes not. But she became irritated when those small disagreements added up until they _all_ seemed unreasonable to her."

The Time Spirit stopped again and glanced at all of his companions this time before he continued with more gravity in his voice, "Don't get me wrong. I am not excusing La Unua's ultimate actions. But it is important for you to understand this history. And as I have already told you, I am going to tell you the entire truth."

Though the teens were a bit spooked by his tone, they didn't say anything. As for the Angelus, he was still too confused to object.

"Instead of trying to work through the conflicts, however, she no longer accepted _any_ questioning, no matter how small or how reasonable they were. The seed of her dark side had been dormant without any challenge, but had begun to blossom when she was questioned. She felt that she was still the head and should have complete power over them all. And her suggestions became petty demands, which slowly became more and more intolerable."

His core saddened by his next thought, young Clockwork paused longer than the other times. Finally, he threw that thought away as he continued in a neutral voice, "That was the beginning of the end, for the other Ancients and spirits then rejected the idea of being subjected to the domination she demanded. La Unua could never understand or accept that sentient creatures were always created free and with free wills that would ultimately reject all forms of tyranny."

"Nevertheless, La Unua became outraged with the Ancients and spirit races when they would no longer accept her as their supreme head…And then, the lust for power surrounded and suffocated her core of any goodness she ever had. Evil ideas filled her being. She decided that she would solve this problem by eliminating her opposition—permanently. And she would start with the most defiant of the Ancients. And that was she made a pivotal discovery."

All of the teens sat more upright and the Angelus tensed slightly in anticipation.

"Of course, La Unua understood that that first attack would alert all of her other children. And, indeed, it did!"

The three teens tensed more, since they had a feeling that what Clockwork was about to say couldn't be good.

Even the Angelus's eyes narrowed in apprehension. Though he wanted to know the history of the one who had kept him and his kin prisoners, he didn't really know what any of this had to do with him. Yet, he was certain that the Time Spirit had been addressing him in particular all of this time because he hardly ever regarded the three younger creatures.

"But if there is one thing positive you can say about the witch, she is very clever. She immediately called a meeting of all the Ancients and spirits and apologized to the Ancient whom she had assaulted. And since this kind of thing had never occurred before, all of the Ancients and spirits readily accepted her apology and forgot about the incident."

Tucker felt a sudden chill at what Clockwork next said, "But of course, La Unua did not forget, though she was still puzzled and dissatisfied. Still, this just gave her time to think about why she could not hurt that Ancient. Finally, she remembered that she had felt…different each time she had created each race of spirits. And that was when La Unua discovered what she had overlooked: that in the process of forming so many ethereal creatures, she had lost significant power with each creation to the point that she could no longer effectively threatened the others. And at that time, she was actually _equal_ in power with her 'children' rather than superior to them, which meant that she was now only _one among equals_. Not only was she upset about that, but she panicked when she thought that the loss of all that power might be permanent."

Tightening his grasp around his slightly vibrating staff again, the Time Spirit pressed on, "Her hunger-for-complete-power core devised a wicked plan to get her power back, even if in reality it was an experiment in the beginning. And so, she gave the ruse to the others that she needed to create even more spirits and could only do that in the same secluded place she had used when she had created her first offspring. No one objected, because what she had said had been true. But she did not retreat to here as you might have guessed. She withdrew to an area not too far from here, which she had called the _Sfero de Espero_ , which, ironically, meant 'The Realm of Hope'."

Angelus-alvus was about to ask a question when the Adult Clockwork raised his hand and gently said, "I know this explanation is long; but with your permission, I need to continue."

Though still perplexed by this creature's deferential behavior, the winged spirit silently nodded his consent.

Satisfied, Clockwork continued just as he morphed to his oldest form, "As you could probably guess, the test she thought about was whether she could re-absorb her lost power. She began to hunt and then trap each spirit individually; and one-by-one, she began to eliminate them. She did this slowly so as not to cause alarm. She absorbed some of them directly and, as she had hoped, soon discovered that her power level swelled with each new victim! Before long, she had nearly recovered most of her original incredible power, though its strength was now finite. But that was not enough! Now that she was once again more powerful than any individual spirit, she wanted to form an army to conquer and then consume her remaining 'children' so that she could have a second chance at both creating new creatures while guarding her power."

"So, to keep her from making the same mistake of losing her power, she didn't create new spirits for her army. She created lesser creatures, which she called 'ghosts'. These ghosts, however, were only the non-human kind. And each race of ghosts had significantly lower power than she, and, indeed, did not compromise her own power when they were formed. And each of them also possessed some attribute of her dark personality and skills. For instance, the Mockingbird Ghosts are shape-shifters like her; the Maloftas were skilled in hunting; there were sinister mythical ghost-creatures of all kinds; and the Behemoths and other ghost monsters had awful strength and recklessness, to mention just a few. And all of them had evil in their cores."

The young Clockwork turned completely to the Angelus and remarked, "I know that you may not be aware of any of these ghosts, Angelus-alvus, but Danny, Sam and Tucker are familiar with a lot of them."

The trio nodded at first before they frowned in thought. They had heard of all of those kinds of non-human ghosts, except the Maloftas. Little did they know that they actually knew one particular Malofta: Skulker! And as far as they knew, there was just ONE Behemoth. But Clockwork had implied that there had been more.

Clockwork phased to his adult form and privately sighed at a thought before he continued with another, "And so began another chapter of La Unua's ruthless legend. As all corrupt creatures, she easily rationalized her actions. She now felt that since she created all ghostly and spirit life forms, she could decide which of them to eliminate and when. But in reality, she wished to put the cosmos in such a balance that would favor only _her_ and her future warped plans, which would give her complete power once again. Once she eliminated enough spirits and created more lower ghost forms, she would get that balance and power.

The oldest form of the Time Master paused and then sighed out the earlier thought that he had initially kept to himself: "How sad that La Unua turned out to be like so many bad mothers who want to dominate their children—or most reprehensibly, to kill them no matter how defenseless!"

The three teens had to stifle their gasps not only for what Clockwork said, but that he would say it with such emotion!

But then, the Time Spirit realized that he had digressed. He was sure it was because he did not have his full power but for a few seconds at a time with this continual tug-of-war with the Sfero de Ĥaoso's atmosphere. And that meant, it would be harder for him to control his emotions and demeanor!

Still, his face became calm again and he continued in a soberer voice, "La Unua's evil plan would have been successful had it not been for the fact that the Ancients and spirits finally noticed that their numbers were mysteriously disappearing before it was too late. And it was a good thing that they had noticed at all, since none of them had yet formed bonds with the others, even their own kind."

"And even that realization could have led to their doom, because in order to stop La Unua, the Ancients and the spirits would have to organize themselves…which at that point they had no experience in doing. In fact, what made that particularly difficult was the nature of all the Ancients and all of the types of spirits."

"All of La Unua's first children were prone to being reclusive, even among their own kind. The Ancients were foremost obsessed with their duties. One set of spirits was extremely passive and yet, persnickety about order. They particularly found the idea of going to war, with all its pandemonium, distasteful."

Tucker immediately thought about the Observants.

The Adult Clockwork continued, "Another set was not as passive, and though they were bothered that their kin were being eliminated, they didn't seem to fully understand why war was needed because they had a tendency to just enjoy the present moment. They, in fact, were the most vulnerable of the spirits and had lost the most spirits of their kind from La Unua's doings. But fortunately, not enough that they could not replace themselves, since La Unua had made sure that each spirit race could reproduce on its own…"

Danny frowned. Was Clockwork talking about the Far Frozen Folk? But he didn't say anything since it was obvious that Clockwork wasn't finished.

"And the last two groups of spirits were highly volatile and unpredictable at that time, which was an even graver situation for the spirits to unite in their common dilemma."

Sam had a strong hunch which of those races of spirits he was referring to, but continued to listen.

But then, the youngest form of the Time Spirit paused once more. And then addressing the Angelus only again, he softly said, "Please do not be insulted at this next part, but as you already know, I wanted you to know the truth."

Perplexed, Angelus-alvus slowly nodded as Clockwork pressed on, "The two groups of spirits that were hard to control among themselves and especially with the other races were…the Angeli and the—"

"The Spectre!" all three teens blurted out at once before blushing for their unintentional interruption.

Though the mature Clockwork had on a poker-face, he privately smirked. These three continued to amaze him.

He finally replied, "Yes, those two groups of spirits, unique and powerful as they are, could not be controlled. The Spectre were reckless because they had virtually no emotions; and any sense of reason that they possessed was negated by their callowness. The Angeli, however, were wild because their emotions consumed their reason."

Old Man Clockwork paused again. And when he was satisfied that the other male spirit did not get agitated by what he just said, he continued, "And to be fair to those last two groups of spirits I just mentioned—even when they couldn't help but cause more chaos among themselves and the others—the other race of spirits, which at least our young companions here know are the Observants and Far Frozen Folk, had their own problems with cooperating among all of their brethren like I said a moment ago. They bickered for control and when they failed, they decided among themselves that if they wanted to have any kind of a chance to confront La Unua, they had to do something about the two most chaotic races—the Spectre and Angeli."

The youngest form of the Time Spirit then pressed on, "But as you will soon see, that was not done right away…The Ancients, meanwhile, didn't care one way or the other because up to that point, La Unua had left them alone. And indeed, she had because what they were in charge of had not become self-sufficient enough to run without their intervention. In fact, the Ancients, too, began to think that since they had been spared from La Unua's extermination plans, they must have been superior to the other races. But they kept those thoughts only among themselves; and instead, just listened to the others squabble."

Yet again, the Time Master paused and then added, "And so, in fact, it looked as if La Unua had planned it all so well and was going to achieve her final goals if it hadn't been for one thing..."

The three teens sat more upright again and unconsciously leaned toward the time spirit in anticipation. Even the Angelus's eyes widened in interest.

Addressing the Angelus yet again, Clockwork said, "Again, please do not be insulted by what I am about to say. I hope you find this news as fortuitous as I originally did."

Once again, the time spirit paused to wait for the Angelus's response; and, again, the winged spirit slowly nodded his encouragement for the other spirit to continue.

Satisfied, the Adult Clockwork carried on, "Where was I? Oh, yes. It looked as if things were going La Unua's way except for the mysterious appearance of a very, very large unpolished, multi-colored amulet. No one knows where it came or the specifics on how it was found, though it is possible that the Spectre and Angeli had a serendipitous role in its discovery because of all of the destruction they had done to the ghostly lands, where many kinds of gems were unearthed. In fact, it is largely because of these two races that there are multiple and much, much smaller floating islands rather than the original large floating continents."

The teens' and the winged spirit's eyes widened at the news, but they kept quiet.

Clockwork tightened his grip on his staff as he continued, "When the Ancient who was in charge of all the magic in the Ghost Zone saw how bright and beautiful the gem was even in its rough state, he immediately recognized that it possessed untold magic. He quickly alerted his fellow Ancients about it; and now lusting for its power, they immediately seized it and claimed that they alone could control its power. They also invented the ruse that they would use it to defeat La Unua, when they secretly had no intention of doing so."

As if he was really talking to himself, the Time Master commented, "It is still so ironic that those who claim the right to ultimate power are always amazed that others don't automatically share that view."

But then, Clockwork morphed to his oldest form and seemed to focus back on the others before he said, "It was both fortunate and unfortunate that the Ancients challenged the four other spirit races."

All of the time spirit's audience frowned in confusion but still listened.

"Unfortunate, because even more conflict arose among all five spirit races trying to control the amulet. Each wanted to have it as their own. And an intense physical struggle arose among the leaders to possess the amulet….."

"But what each group didn't realize was that the large amulet had a brittle outer shell. All the force that had been exerted upon it from so many sides and angles was so great that the amulet broke apart, releasing its contents to the ground.

Young Clockwork glanced at his Time Staff briefly as he continued to expand, "The amulet, then, was not an amulet after all, but a container spewing out many, many other amulets…polished gems of all different shapes and colors. And much to their dismay, the amulets' colors faded to black shortly after they were released."

"At first, all of the spirit leaders were upset about what happened and actually started to blame each other because all of those polish gems no longer shone brightly. But then, fortunately, as Fate would have it, one of the spirits, which happened to be an Observant, lifted up one of the stones. It remained black. He dropped it and approached another one. But when he picked it up, which was a round orb, it lit up and became a brilliant deep purple in color under his touch!"

Clockwork stopped again when he saw that the teens were getting tired and said almost apologetically, "It is unfortunate that this is a very long story and we can continue at another time."

"NO!" all three teens shouted anew, which startled the Angelus slightly.

And then, every listener's eyes brightened in encouragement for the Time Spirit to continue...

Old Man Clockwork privately smirked and simply said, "Very well….The leaders of the other races and the Ancients were amazed when they saw that, and each, in turn, tried touching the other gems. One-by-one, each gem only responded to a particular spirit race and, interestingly, to each Ancient. The Spectre claimed the clear diamond-shaped amulet after it burst in radiance when its leader touched it. As our young companions know, that amulet became known as the Amulet of Ombre."

"The Far Frozen Folk received a white oval amulet; and, as you can now conclude, the Angeli's amulet was a multi-colored teardrop gem. The remaining eleven amulets went to each Ancient….And to make a very long story very short, this is the fortunate part of this event: how each spirit race and their realms got their unique powers."

"But," Danny suddenly blurted out, "The Spectre didn't always have their amulet."

Of course, Clockwork knew that the teens personally knew part of the history of the Amulet of Ombre. But before he could comment, the Angelus pointed out the obvious.

"And neither have the Angeli," the winged spirit added, "At least, not for as long as I have memory."

Just as Clockwork melded into his youngest form, he patiently replied, "We only have time for a short summary about Ombre's Amulet. The Spectre lost their amulet during one of their many civil wars, which was disastrous in and of itself because the amulet's loss caused them to fall into complete disarray for centuries. Apparently, two opposing forces had their hands on the gem— just like what happened among all five races of spirits earlier—when a natural portal opened up between the Spectre Realm and the Real World. The amulet fell into it in the tussle for control. And, it was lost for centuries before the human Spectre known as Ombre accidentally found it in the Real World. He, of course, brought order to the Spectre shortly after he arrived in their realm with the amulet."

The three teens unconsciously nodded in understanding. They already had heard of some of that recap.

Clockwork the Adult paused a moment before he finally was able to get back to the main story.

"As for the Angeli….they, too, had that very amulet that is now nestled in its receptacle in your gown, Angelus-alvus. But I am getting ahead of myself and will return to this subject shortly…"

The Time Master paused yet again before he continued, "You recall that before the spirits got their special powers that La Unua tried to eliminate as many spirits as she could in order to regain her being the spirit with the highest powers? And the Ancients had been spared?"

His audience nodded as young Clockwork pushed on, "Well, indeed, at first the Ancients had been spared. But after they all got their amulets, all that changed. La Unua had somehow heard about the amulets. And one-by-one, she began to eliminate all but nine of the Ancients, who eventually became known as wizards. But, fortunately, she was unable to get those destroyed Ancients' amulets…and that was because of the Ancient who had been in charge of Time."

The teens were about to interrupt when the youth-changing-into-the-adult-Clockwork frowned and sternly commented, "It will too long to explain that as I have already taxed too much of time as it is."

And then he turned back to the winged spirit before adding in a tone of voice that seemed he needed to convince himself more than the others to take the time, 'But, conversely, it is important that I take as much time as is needed to explain your role, Angelus-alvus."

The frown on the Time Master's face then melted into nothingness just as his body melded into an old man as he pressed on, "Even with the amulets, the Spectre and Angeli could not use their unique powers effectively because their leaders had not, of course, become masters of their amulets. The same could have been said of the Observants and Far Frozen Folk except for the fact—with no harsh insult intended to the Spectre and Angeli—that the Observants and Far Frozen Folk were more organized and rational, and so wielding their amulets with some purpose was easier and quicker for them. And though the Spectre and Angeli did try to fight as they were with their own spirit powers that could not be enhanced at the time by their amulets, they were still useless in mustering an organized resistance to La Unua because of their nature. And, unfortunately, the Ancients, who were still mourning the loss of their fellow Ancients, fled to a distant realm and were no longer heard from until the arrival of Pariah Dark—which once again, we do not have time to go into…And so, because of all these circumstances, the burden of the resistance to La Unua fell upon the Far Frozen Folk and the Observants."

Unconsciously lifting his staff slightly at the unexpected emotion, Clockwork explained, "A fierce, terrifying war ensued between La Unua and her minions and the four spirit races. In some ways, the Spectre and Angeli did their part because their chaotic battle methods did confuse La Unua and her minions enough for the other races to make an impact; and after many close encounters when it looked bleak for the spirit races in their battle, they finally did defeat La Unua..."

"However, the losses that were inflicted upon the spirit races, and the Observants and Far Frozen Folk in particular, were many. It is a pity that in their bitterness, these two races, who had very, very powerful amulets, thought it was best for them all if they put the other two races—the Spectre and Angeli—in their own secured place. They essentially banished the two other spirit races for committing no real crimes to the most distant ends of the Ghost Zone, far from the reaches of the others so as to not cause any more disorder…while they themselves became recluses also far from the others to save themselves from extinction. It is no wonder, then, that each race was antagonistic of the others for centuries afterward, with occasional wars breaking out between them as well… "

Young Clockwork still had more to tell, and so, he pushed on. "But before the permanent split of the spirits happened, the Observants and Far Frozen Folk, of course, had to deal on what to do with La Unua. After so many losses, they were no longer strong enough by themselves to eliminate her; and feared that they would not be able to control her in spite of the fact that she had lost a great deal of power in the war."

"But then, the Observants—who, as it turned out, had been able to rescue all of the orbs that had once belonged to the destroyed Ancients with the help of the Ancient of Time—thought of a solution, as misguided as it was. One of those rescued orbs could heal and tame other spirits and ghosts. And they used that orb to quickly teach the Angeli's leader on how to use his amulet."

"But being the fastidious and even neurotic spirits that they were, the Observants then feared what they had done. They convinced the Far Frozen Folk that once the Angeli had a leader and an amulet, they would be a formidable force…"

The mature Time Master suddenly digressed, "You might be thinking that the same was true about the Spectre, which it was. They, too, would be a powerful group with a leader and an amulet. But as you recall, the Spectre were almost completely devoid of emotion and had a tendency to not care about the concerns of others or even themselves. They would not be suited to do the task the Observants had in mind. Besides, the Observants didn't want to teach both of these chaotic races how to use their amulets when they needed only one for their plans; and so, they left the Spectre to figure that out on their own."

The time spirit then addressed the Angelus, "One day, I will tell you the entire story of the Spectre, even though our young companions here know of it."

Angelus-alvus nodded slightly, though that was more in trying to put everything together rather than agree. In fact, he was growing more agitated with every new piece of this history.

Old Man Clockwork then said, "But since the Observants at the time still had complete control over the Angeli's leader from the power of their orb, they decided to imprint a suggestion and command on that leader on his very core for their solution to La Unua. And once the Observants were satisfied, they pressed the Far Frozen to combine their amulets' powers to completely seal the Angeli from the rest of the Ghost Zone in this area which the Observants then called the Sfero de Ĥaoso. No other power was allowed to penetrate that seal—including that of the Time Master!"

It looked as if the Angelus was about to interrupt when Clockwork the Child quickly insisted, "But there is more! Not only were the Angeli sealed here, but so was La Unua!" He paused only briefly before he added, "The Observants had suggested to the Angeli leader that he would _not_ be able to control his kin and they even made sure to dampen his telepathic powers to ensure that the Angeli would continue to be as terrifying as a pack of ravenous wolves. In fact, they had to resort to devouring each other because they could not absorb any energy directly from the Sfero de Ĥaoso's desolate atmosphere because it actually had the nature of absorbing energy! The only thing that saved their race is that they could go for very long periods of not needing any kind of food, for lack of a better word."

Yet again, the Time Master paused and his red eyes flashed momentarily before he went on, "But the Observants had also imprinted upon the Angeli leader that his amulet was only good for one thing: to help him to secure La Unua in a cell and then to _guard_ her and keep her from escaping! They commanded that he _alone_ would be able to do this! In their warped way, the Observants thought that leaving the Angeli to their violent and impulsive habits with no leadership would be the way to make sure that the atmosphere around La Unua remained too hostile for her to escape—while keeping the Angelus leader ineffective and a virtual prisoner to his duties of ensuring that the witch remained contained in her cell."

The eyes of Clockwork's listeners widened in disbelief. And they all were unsettled at the news. The _Angeli_ had been the guardians of La Unua and not the other way around? And the Observants had been so cruel as to give this fate to them alone?

The adult Clockwork sighed slightly, "I understand your reaction because this bit of news pains me in particular especially when I had a part in some of the later events…."

Still, the Time Master spoke on, "Ironically, all was at peace in most of the Ghost Zone for several centuries after these events…And the Sfero de Ĥaoso was forgotten. And somewhere in that time, human ghosts began to appear. But then, shortly after I came to be, a strange energy was detected emanating from the Sfero de Ĥaoso. In fact, I was the one who first noticed it and I reported it to my employers, the Observants, because that area was supposed to be desolate in both energy and beings."

Clockwork sounded almost bitter as he morphed to his oldest state and continued, "Though to say that I was naïve and young at the time is a poor excuse, it is the only one I have because I still regret all that happened…The Observants instructed me to ignore it. And at first, I did because I was subjected to them."

One of the Angelus's eyebrows hitched and he suddenly felt a little pity for the Time Master now that he knew that he, too, had also been a kind of prisoner.

"But as time passed, the energy got slightly stronger and I felt it was my duty to investigate the anomaly. And that's when I discovered that the energy was indeed emanating from what was supposed to be a wasteland. But what I found most odd about it is that it didn't seem to be random energy, but it had rhythm to it, as if it were a sort of signal."

He paused again, as if he didn't want to go on, but he pressed on nevertheless, "Yet again, I reported it to my employers. Though they were angry with me for disobeying them, they felt that they had to tell me what I just told you…And then they informed me that they would take care of it."

This time, the youngest persona of the Time Master definitely sounded bitter. "I did not know it then, but I found out later that I was indeed right about that energy. It was a distress signal sent out from the Angelus leader at that time. La Unua had managed to escape from her cell and had attacked the leader. He had sent out a distress signal in the midst of his battle with her, and did not know that he could have defeated her easily if he had only used his amulet to summon his kin. As you recall, the Observants had imprinted on him solely to be the one to guard La Unua and that he would not be able to unite his kin. I still do not understand their reasoning for that. But it was definitely poor insight, for La Unua destroyed that leader, absorb his own powerful energy, and seized the amulet!"

The others gasped; but not as loudly as the Angelus. He suddenly felt his anger rise, but he was able to control it enough to continue to listen.

"No one knew, not even the Observants— and especially me because you know that my time spell could not penetrate the Sfero de Ĥaoso—that in all that time that the rest of the Ghost Zone ignored the Sfero de Ĥaoso that La Unua had bided her time, experimenting with her still impressive and unique powers, until her powers had surged sufficiently enough for her to then finally escape and take control of the Sfero de Ĥaoso."

"She took her revenge on all the Angeli for being their prisoner even when only their leader had been aware of it as the Observants had willed it! And so, she eliminated all the adult female Angeli, not only for the revenge, but to gain more power…"

The Adult Time Spirit turned and pointed above and continued, "and she imprisoned the males in that large orb. In her own dark way, the witch found pleasure in knowing what chaos the remaining Angeli would create without their leader and with the loss of the amulet. She was free to create her own type of chaos. She knew that the fate of Existence, whereby it would be ultimately destroyed and therefore would let her control its rebirth yet again, had been ironically set by the Observants, who purported to defend it! How could she even begin to do this, since she was still banished to this sealed realm? After all, La Unua should not have been able to control the amulet because she was not an Angelus."

He paused, which was enough of a pause for a thought to strike Sam and she blurted out, "Was it because she created the Angeli and was a shape-shifter, uhm, maybe?!"

As Clockwork melded to his adult form, he secretly smirked but answered poker-faced, "Yes, indeed. In fact, she would have eventually been able to control _all_ of the amulets for those same reasons! But she knew she could not risk another war unless she could be sure of her powers. She was able to garner enough power to poke small holes in the seal around the Sfero de Ĥaoso, holes big enough for her to stealthily capture level nine or higher non-human and human ghosts and even spirits in order to slowly gather her own powers and army. She even captured other lower level ghosts so as not to draw attention to her plans…And she would have succeeded had the Observants not noticed the mysterious disappearance of those ghosts and commanded me to find out about it…"

"That is when I discovered about their amulets and the Orb of Power in particular, which could temporarily boost my own time powers enough for me to be able to penetrate the time seal around this realm and see into it, even if it were only briefly before the seal healed itself! All I was commanded to do was to reveal that their suspicions were right, which they were."

"Once again, there was no excuse for any of us after we realized that La Unua had been able to at least partially escape and was up to her old tricks. But the history of the past war was so ingrained in the Observant and Far Frozen Folk psyches that they feared having to face and fight La Unua as their ancestors had long ago. And so, they chose to leave it be. In some ways they didn't even realize that they were abandoning the Angeli yet again, even when they personally had not been involved in the original war against La Unua…Though I understood their fear, I do not excuse them…If they had only understood that all the realms, with their leaders in full command of their amulets could have easily defeated the witch before she had obtained the Angeli's amulet!"

The Old Time Master sighed, "As for me, I could not interfere as Time Master, even as I was commanded not to interfere. My duties' burden was heavy enough and was made heavier by the fact that I could not excuse myself for my inaction when interference would have been the right thing to do...And yet, in spite of this tragedy from our folly, I knew that all was not lost…I knew that there had been a flaw in La Unua's plan."

He paused again and said with subtle hope, "We have to thank the higher power that in her pride and overconfidence, La Unua had overlooked the _young_ Angeli, who had been left abandoned and imprisoned with the adult male Angeli! And that would have included the descendant of the destroyed leader, the one destined to wield the amulet!"

Clockwork turned to the Angelus and looked him right in the eye. " _You_ are that descendant, Angelus-alvus! You could have not known any of the this because you were too young when your father was destroyed and did not even know of him; and later, you would also have many lapses in…control like your kin. But I suspected that you must have been the one or else you would not have been able to lead your kin when you were a prisoner in the Real World without the amulet—even if temporarily—because in his wisdom, your father must have imprinted your core with the amulet! That is why you knew what to do to La Unua not too long ago. And that is why you were so receptive to…ah, Mistress Sam's mental suggestions…For you see, Angelus-alvus, only the true leader of each race of spirits is linked to the amulet and has telepathic powers!"

Young Clockwork paused again. And it was a good thing that he had because all those listening were practically overwhelmed by all of this.

Though the winged spirit was speechless at the moment, a weight seemed to be lifted off of him. He somehow knew this was all true. But he still could not help but be angry at the other realms for having abandoned his own and sealed them away.

All of the teens' minds were spinning with questions and trying to put the pieces together. One of the many was whether Frostbite had telepathic powers…or whether he knew of this history…And they had never seen any amulet. True, they were sure it had been carefully guarded, but now they wanted to know!

And how would the Angelus react now that Clockwork had told him about all about this? They wouldn't blame him for being angry because they, too, were a bit upset with Clockwork for not having tried to prevent this after he found out about everything. After all, there were higher commands that he should adhere to over those of flawed beings!

Still, Danny was the most sympathetic to Clockwork because he knew that the Time Spirit was bound by his duties, but that he had also been able to help many times as best as he could even as he was bound to his duties. Perhaps the Time Master could not find a way at that time.

And what would happen to La Unua now?

Finally, Clockwork broke the silence as he phased to his adult form. "La Unua must have sensed this about you, too; but, fortunately, she did not destroy you for some reason…And now, you know everything, Angelus-alvus. And now that you do, you have a choice…"

The winged spirit looked at him intensely, but was now battling with his emotions enough not to immediately comment—even when the amulet made it easier to control his emotions.

"You and your kin are now free. And you alone can control and command your kin. If even one escapes this place, he or she will wreak havoc on all they encounter. They will not be able to help themselves otherwise, for it is their nature."

When the Angelus didn't comment yet again, the adult Time Master studied him for a moment and then continued, "And then, there is the problem of La Unua. As she has already proven in the past with almost completely tragic results, she is very powerful even without the amulet. But should she somehow be able to get a hold of your amulet or even any of the others, her power could become as terrorizing as you have witnessed in all of this time—maybe even more so. I have no doubt that she might even try to balance the number of souls in the Real World!"

" _Not if we can help it!"_ the teens all thought at once before they turned and looked at each other. They then smiled slightly when they realized that they had accidentally relayed that to each other telepathically.

And, coincidentally, Angelus-alvus also accidentally heard them and he frowned in surprise!

Old Clockwork's face was sober and yet sincere as he said, "But I promise you that I will remain silent no more about any of this, especially when I am no longer subjected to the Observants."

The teens' eyes widened at the news and they were stunned to silence.

"Though I am still bound to be neutral in my duties to Time, I cannot be neutral in this matter. The Spectre have a new, strong and wise leader. The current leaders of the Observants, though they have their flaws, are no longer willing to neglect the Angeli's state of affairs. And I can say with certainty that the Far Frozen Folk's leader, though he did neglect you in the past, will make amends. And I will do my best to make the other realms do their equal part in guarding La Unua, even if that means transferring her to one of their realms."

Silence again blanketed the group.

Danny, Sam and Tucker grew worried as the tense hush thickened, especially since in all that time the Angelus's face contorted unnaturally, his eyes and aura flashed in several colors, and he threw more than one edgy glance at Sam.

Even Clockwork began to regret telling the Angelus all of this because he knew that in the end, it was entirely possible that he had brought himself and the teens to their doom. But he quickly dismissed those feelings, because he would only insist on his own doom. And even if it meant that he would be destroyed, what he did had been the _right_ thing to do!

The youngest form of Clockwork opened his mouth to say more when the Angelus suddenly bolted up into the air, melded into Angelus- _bellator_ , and floated above the group. He looked at each of them intensely as his multi-colored aura brightened.

Keeping his eyes glued on the obviously upset spirit, Danny's core tightened in uncertainty; and though he winced at the pain that shot through it, he was ready to protect his friends the best he could in case this did not go well.

"I am still unsettled…" the winged spirit slowly said before his eyes suddenly flashed and he growled, "No, I am _angry_ about your words, Clockwork! And as you know, I am used to anger—along with any rash action that comes from it! My kin and I have been gravely wronged! I would have a right to destroy all those responsible for this injustice, starting with you!"

Though the teens tensed and had to choke down their gasps, the adult Clockwork was unmoved as he simply replied, "Understandably so."

The Angelus eyed the Time Master in suspicion. "And I have no desire to associate with the realms that have cared so little for the Angeli for so long."

Clockwork slowly nodded, even when he felt a loss in power yet again.

The winged spirit then glanced at the youngest beings here and said with almost disgust, "And the concerns of the Real World or any human ghost are not important to me and my kin, for those are the lowest of creatures to us!"

Danny, Sam and Tucker frowned at the insult and unconsciously fisted their hands. But they controlled themselves all the same and said nothing.

The angry Angelus noticed but ignored the teens' reaction before he added, "But I have to admit, though it gives me no pleasure, that you, Time Master, must have great courage to come here. Not only because that this is such a terrifying, chaotic realm which has been robbing you of your powers, but because of the dangers you have accepted in the telling of Ĉasista's and my kin's history."

He then glanced at the teens and almost hissed, "Even these insignificant ones have shown much bravery and control, though I would suspect that the circumstances merely forced it out of them for their own self-preservation."

This time, the teens felt their hearts drop and they lowered their heads in sadness and disappointment. Perhaps they had been wrong in hoping that this Angelus was…different.

Once more, the winged spirit locked his angry eyes on the old Time Spirit and concluded, "And so, I have no reason to believe you, especially when you said yourself that your time power was unable to penetrate into this realm. And that you have duties that bind you to readily be disinterested. So, how is it that you choose after all these centuries of ignorance and callousness to…not only show an interest, but to actually interfere with the Angeli's affairs? Is it maybe that you in truth actually desire to take this amulet for yourself? You cannot deny that since you left part of your aura's imprint on the gem when you first touched it!"

Clockwork shook his head and uttered, "No, I cannot—nor will not—deny it. But you must also know that I rejected that temptation!"

Unconvinced, one of Angelus-bellator's eyes twitched as he said through gritted teeth. "Perhaps…But I am still unsatisfied. If you had not the power to penetrate the shell of the Sfero de Ĥaoso in the past, how is it that you could now? By what right and magic could you do this?"

Young Clockwork face showed no emotion as he replied, "As I said, I will tell you all. The other spirit realms responsible for this have finally evolved enough to hope that their sinful past is…forgivable, as they finally wanted to be...involved in your plight. In fact, it is from the very spirits who once condemned the Angeli so unjustly that I got my…help. They combined two of their amulets, which could temporarily boost my own time powers enough like it had done when I first detected that distress signal from your forefather. Once again, I was not only able to penetrate the time seal around this realm and see into it as I had long ago, but as you can see, I was also able to actually enter it and use my powers within it, even if temporarily. It was enough for you and your kin to defeat La Unua."

Clockwork then reached up to his staff and with some effort, pulled off the morphed Observant Orb and showed it to the winged spirit.

One of the Angelus's eyebrows shot up briefly before he threateningly said, "You know, of course, that I could easily take that from you..."

The teens saw that the adult Clockwork didn't flinch as he quietly responded, "Yes, I calculated that risk."

Another disturbing quiet fell upon them; and the teens were just as disturbed at watching the aura and eyes of the Angelus flash in many different colors. They could not know that the winged spirit was wrestling with a new slew of emotions.

Though Clockwork gripped his Time Staff more tightly when it shuddered and ignored the sweat forming in the same hand, he continued to hold the Observants' orb in his other outstretched hand. His face remained neutral and he didn't otherwise move, as if he had cast his time spell on himself. He knew all too well that he and the teens were entirely at the mercy of this powerful creature and their fate would be decided upon in the next few moments.

After a period of silence that seemed to suffocate the teens, Angelus-bellator's aura and eyes flashed only red; and as if he was still making up his mind which of them to destroy first, he glared at each of the others, one-by-one, ending with and maintaining his glare on Tucker longer than the others.

Tucker felt as if that glance might as well have been a laser goring his eyes out. But he only sat up more upright, bit his lip, and maintained their stare. Little did he know…

Suddenly, Angelus-bellator melded back to Angelus-alvus, and as he alit, seemed to almost say sorrowfully, "But…as I was once advised…I should do the right thing…in spite of the past…"

All three teens audibly exhaled at once. They really hadn't been aware that they had been holding their breaths for several moments! And all three blushed when both the male spirits turned to and looked at them when they clearly heard them exhale. It was then that Tucker realized that the Angelus must have read his mind a moment ago, because he had been thinking just that when he had locked eyes on the winged spirit!

"So, sad that I am, I need to thank you, Time Master, for telling me the truth, much as it also pains me still. But I must now more formally thank you, Mistress Sam…" he glanced at just Tucker and added, "…And Master Tucker for all that you have done for me. I would not have been able to discern a decision without you."

The two blushed slightly more but said nothing.

"And I understand my destiny now. My kin and I will build an even stronger prison for Ĉasista and we will resume guarding her. We Angeli are best suited by our chaotic nature to counter any schemes she might dare to make from now on…"

He suddenly paused in indecision before he sighed.

Though they wanted to object to what he had just said, the others could tell that the Angelus wasn't finished.

"Finally, I think it best for the Ghost Zone, and maybe even for the Real World, that our realm remains sealed away."

"NO!" the teens blurted out.

The Angelus's eyes flared red but it was not in anger this time. He was…touched by their concern he could practically palpitate coming off of them.

"Your concern has been noticed," the spirit softly replied. "But I do believe that our realm is not named the Sfero de Ĥaoso inappropriately. Even though I am able to control my kin now, I do not wish to do so unless necessary. And I do not want any of my…children to feel as if their realm is limited to the orb of a prison they had come to know…But I would not be a responsible leader if I did not protect them not only from themselves, but also from those they may prey upon by their nature…and even foreign creatures who would wish them harm in their weakest states...No, I think it best if we remain a banished race…"

He turned to the Time Master. "And even though you would have guaranteed an alliance with the other realms, which I am grateful for, we Angeli are now strong enough without them."

All were silent yet again before the oldest Clockwork broke it, "Indeed, the amulet has picked the _Angelus-sapientissimi_ **[3]**

A ghost of a smile curled at one of the corners of the winged spirit's mouth as he replied, "I preferred to be known as Angelus-alvus from now onward."

"As you wish," Clockwork simply said.

There was another short pause before Clockwork remarked, "Now, if we have your permission, we need to go. Is there any message you wish for me to convey to the other spirit realms?"

The spirit thought a moment and his aura and eyes once again flashed in multiple colors before he answered, "That if the need should ever arise, they will take an oath to come to the Angeli's aid no matter how great a risk it is in dealing with them."

"I promise," young Clockwork soberly said before he sent a barely noticeable wink to Danny before returning to his staider face.

"Then, I am…at peace."

But then, the Angelus looked at Danny more intently a moment before he addressed him, "Before I forget, _iuvenes humano idolon..."_ **[4]**

Though the 'title' sent painful memories shooting through Danny's mind, he hesitantly answered, "Y-Yes?"

"I am as guilty as the other realms in…doing grave wrong to you when I attacked you in your realm…I regret my actions fueled by my lack of insight."

Instantly rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment for having been singled out and for not knowing what to say, Danny hesitantly answered, "Uh, I kinda understand now that it really wasn't your fault; and, uhm, ahem, since I also went a bit crazy not too long ago when I thought you were going to, uh, hurt Sam, uh," He winced as he added, "Uh, maybe we can call it 'even'?"

"I am sorry, for I do not understand what that means," the spirit said with a frown.

Now even more nervous, Danny choked out, "Uh, what I mean is that, uhm, I can forget about all of this if you can. After all, my worries are really small compared to what you and your, uh, kin have gone through."

The spirit drew closer to Danny and seriously replied, "No amount of injustice is too small, _iuvenes humano idolon._ But if what you mean is that we can bury our misunderstandings, I can accept that."

This time, Danny felt a lump in his throat since he didn't know what else to say and so, he merely nodded his head in agreement.

After another awkward, yet brief, hush, the adult Clockwork said, "I believe that it is time to go. I will not fail to relay your message, Angelus-alvus, but I will not be able to reassure you that I did tell the Others because my time power will once again be unable to penetrate your realm."

The winged spirit replied, "That might be likened to good fortune since whatever you may be able to see with your power from now on will be pure chaos, though a content one!"

Angelus-alvus ended that comment with a very tiny smile—which was as close to a full smile that he had ever had before.

Clockwork nodded in return before he slipped the Observant's orb back on top of his Time Staff. The staff instantly pulsed with power anew, since the atmosphere had slowly been constantly leaching it away until the orb reinforced the staff's own power.

The Time Master lifted it up, created a time portal just before he created a time bubble around the teens and confidently announced, "Time in!", before he and the teens disappeared from the Sfero de Ĥaoso.

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 **[1] You'll have to read my story,** _ **Gold Tested in Fire**_ **, to find out about Molly Mockingbird.**

 **[2]** _ **La Unua**_ **is Esperanto and** _ **Prima**_ **is Latin for: The First One.**

 **[3] Latin for: Wisest Angel.**

 **[4] Latin for: young human ghost**

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 **A/N: Well, dear readers, I hope you like this nearly final chapter. I had a fun time telling y'all about this 'history'! I hope you enjoyed it as much and will leave a bit of your own legend in that little box below! But as you know, I always have an epilogue, and so, I hope you will stay tune for that in the near future!**


	33. Chapter 33 Epilogue Adjustments

**A/N: Well, dear readers, (sniff) here is the Epilogue as I promised. Not much to say, (sighs) except that I don't own the Danny Phandom franchise, though I wish I did. But I do own this story and the OCs in it! So, without further ado, enjoy the show!**

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Entanglement—Chapter 33—Epilogue—Adjustments

Dan Phantom tried to blink the spots away from his eyes and unconsciously clutched at his still-aching chest when he reappeared in the future, alternate Amity Park. Time travel had never bothered him before, but apparently it did in this case because his core was still injured.

His thoughts of revenge against Clockwork and Danny faded as he looked all around him. It didn't help that his vision was still blurry as he tried to orient himself to where he was. He frowned as he slowly floated forward. He was not familiar with this part of Amity Park. It certainly looked like it should be part of his turf because there was the usual debris all over the place.

Finally, as he was approaching what looked like a large wall made up of twisted concrete and steel, his vision began to clear. Still, he was not satisfied about where he was.

" _Have things gone to pot, well, gone_ _ **more**_ _to pot since I've been gone?"_ he privately mused.

The ghost then smirked. _"Maybe a few ghosts got uppity and tried to take over when they realized I was gone…well, they've had their fun, but it's over now!"_

He floated closer to the odd-looking wall.

But after he examined it and other areas, he muttered in confusion, "This damage is fresh because it's still smoking."

He twisted violently around and re-scanned the area. But there was no other living being around right now.

Dan flew up higher toward the top of the wall and checked over the entire area and that's when he saw the…

" _Ghost shield!"_ he said to himself before he wryly smirked. " _So, the Old Man brought me right back to the time and place before I left this area. And that would mean that I'm at the edge of the neutral zone shortly after my ghostly wail destroyed this part…And so, that would also mean that I have time to plan on how I'm going to make sure that the other ghosts know that I'm still boss here."_

But then, Phantom grimaced slightly when he felt a pain shoot through his still-damaged core, " _Of course, that will take a lot of planning now since it might take a while for my core to heal."_

The ghost had a sudden sick feeling about it as he growled " _That is,_ _ **if**_ _I'll be able to get to my former power level or redevelop those powers that that witch ripped out of me!"_

A flutter of mourning suddenly passed over him as he thought about his lost powers: his ghostly wail and his ability to replicate. These two were not only his most powerful ones, but they were also the ones he would most likely used during his battles with other ghosts, the humans and…Valerie!

And now, he couldn't use them anymore. But then he scowled in dissatisfaction when he thought about using his invisibility and intangibility powers instead. Unless he was willing to renege on his agreement with Valerie, he couldn't use them either! Besides, if he did use them—at least when he was fighting with the humans—Valerie might discover the reason why: because he would need them now that he was a level-eight ghost.

Though he wasn't happy about that, he couldn't help being more upset at the thought of Valerie finding out about his…changes.

The future ghost suddenly clenched his teeth and hissed when he felt more pain stab at his core, followed by a sudden loss in strength. Now focused on that, he grunted in anger and frustration, " _Being here and not in the Ghost Zone must be compromising my overall strength and endurance more than it did in the past. So, I might have to disengage in any battles sooner than I want and be forced to take longer recovery times in the Ghost Zone."_

But then, he threw his discouraging thoughts away and smirked, " _Might mean that my battles will be more interesting from now on…After all, they had become so easy that it was boring…"_

Phantom suddenly halted in that thought before continuing with a new train of thought, _"Well, then, it's time to get to planning how to keep any future battle more on the 'interesting' side and less on the 'harder' side!"_

Suddenly, however, he noticed a slight shadow move across the wall of debris at the corner of his left eye. He reflexively charged up his red energy within his hands and whirled around to face…

"Skultech!" Dan uttered in both surprise and relief as he deactivated his energy. But then, he frowned when his red ghost sense eked out of his nostrils several seconds late. For the first time, it had failed to alert him of a ghost beforehand! And he could only guess that it must be because of his still-injured core!

Nevertheless, Dan bit the inside of his lower lip and steeled himself from any other emotion when the cyborg ghost addressed him.

"We were getting worried," the Technus-part whined through the aperture at the robot's abdomen. "A lot of ghosts heard all the ruckus coming from here right after that bratty kid from the past stirred up all that trouble. They came snooping around asking questions."

"But we managed to bluff them into thinking that you had everything in control even though you had been missing," the Skulker-part added. "They all just left in fact."

"Of course, I had everything under control," Phantom smugly replied. "But when and how did you get here and how long have I been gone?"

"We were sent back here by Clockwork shortly after we arrived at his tower," the Skulker began, "and you've only been gone thirty minutes after that. So, what happened to you?"

Dan smirked wickedly at the thoughts whirling in his head before he said, "Never mind about that. All that matters is that I'm back….and have a lot of plans to make!"

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Vlad Plasmius grumbled under his breath after the time bubble landed within the foyer of his mansion before it disappeared. Not only was his vision still blurry, but he could also tell that his face was still flushed and his core hadn't stopped throbbing.

As he changed back into his human form, Vlad hitched in a gasp and clutched at his chest. Even morphing hurt!

The last time he had felt this…powerless and hurt was when he was a prisoner of the Observants! And he had never gotten over that bitter taste out of his mouth, much less expect it to intensify from all of this!

"Blast it all!" he growled, trying to ignore his hot face and the pain in his chest. "It was already bad enough what that conniving time spirit did to me during my trumped-up trial with those imbecilic Observants! But for him to have the audacity to get me out of Ĉasista's lair and use the opportunity to show me up with Daniel again is too much!"

The very flustered man gritted his teeth and added, "If he thinks that I feel one ounce of indebtedness to him, he's sadly mistaken! And the nerve of him calling me 'pompous'! If ever there was an over-inflated ego, it's Clockwork's!"

Suddenly, Vlad realized that he was actually panting with his fury. And the pain in his core seemed to be scorching him. Now more upset that he let the time spirit indirectly control him even at this moment, he narrowed his eyes and concentrated on slowing his breathing.

After a few more seconds, the older hybrid felt the steam lessen in his core and face.

He was still very upset… but after getting a hold of himself, he felt a drain in energy.

The man didn't realize until this point that he was exhausted and famished.

He quickly walked over to the intercom, pushed the button, and grumpily barked, "George!"

"Sir? You're back already?!" the ghost chef blurted out in excitement before he caught himself and replied, "Uh, I mean, yes, sir?"

"Back already!?" Vlad snapped back. "Just what day and time do you think this is anyways?"

"Why, it's still Saturday, sir and around seven-thirty in the morning," George answered. "Derek said you left only a half-hour ago without leaving any instructions. I was wondering why you had left in such a hurry without breakfast, only now, you're back!"

"Saturday? And only seven-thirty in the morning?" Vlad muttered incredulously to himself, quickly ignoring his ghost chef's last comments.

"Y-Yes, sir," George hesitantly replied, a bit spooked by his employer's tone. "Would you like to finally have some breakfast, then, sir?"

Still not listening to the ghost, Vlad continued in disbelief, "Why did that devil of a spirit send me back only thirty minutes before I initially left to search for…"

"Skulker!" he practically gasped, realizing that he had forgotten all about him.

"Uh, I haven't seen him for days, sir," George confessed. But privately, the ghost chef was afraid to add anymore because he immediately thought that maybe his employer hadn't fully recovered from that Spectre attack after all. Nevertheless, he offered, "Uh, but if you would rather wait later for something to eat, I would…"

"No!" Vlad grumbled, more irritated with himself than with his ghost chef. "I mean, never mind what I just said. I really have to get something to eat before I go look for Skulker again. Just fix me a quick omelet and some toast, George. I'll be in my lab."

"V-Very good, sir. I'll make sure that Derek brings it to you."

George grew more nervous when Vlad didn't say anything to acknowledge his comment. He was about to ask for further instructions when Vlad then answered more quietly, "Thank you, George…as always. And yes, have Derek bring it down to the lab."

Little did George know that the man had finally calmed himself enough after being upset only with himself for forgetting about his robot ghost friend again.

"You're always welcome, sir," George hesitantly replied.

He cut off the intercom and began to prepare that light breakfast….

Vlad was next to his computer already booting it up when there was a rap on the door.

"Come in," the older hybrid said without looking away from the computer's monitor.

"Your breakfast, sir," Derek softly replied.

"Just put it at the usual place, Derek," came the casual reply.

"As you wish, sir," the butler quietly said before he made a hurry retreat. The butler wasn't going to press his luck even after finding the man more civil right now after having been out of sorts for such a long time.

After the computer was fully up and running, Vlad mused out loud, "Daniel got Skulker out of Ĉasista's lair, but where did he actually put him?"

The older hybrid pushed a few buttons, which sent out a signal to the robotic ghost.

When there was no response a few minutes later, Vlad sent out a fresh set of signals.

The man's brow furrowed in disappointment soon afterward and he uttered in worry, "Where are you, Skulker?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The real, tiny Skulker grunted with the effort of pulling on the manual lever within his robotic head that would release him from his essentially gummed up robotic suit.

That crude portal he had been thrust into was long gone. And it had taken awhile before the speed of his unplanned trajectory had slowed to a stop, which was bad enough. And now, he had been floating helplessly for a few hours somewhere completely unknown to him in the Ghost Zone. But what was worst was that he had no way of finding out or doing anything about it because all of his instruments and robotic joints were stuck by Ĉasista's webbing. And that only meant that he was a sitting, well, okay, a _floating_ duck for any kind of vile creature which might stumble upon him.

"Come on! Come on!" he grumbled as he continued to struggle with the lever without success.

Then, Skulker stopped at his next thought.

"Of course," he concluded grumpily, "The lever will not work because the seam and hinge of the robot's head were severely damaged by that witch before she glued them down in place!"

He let go of the lever and grunted in exasperation, "Now look what you have done to me, Ghost Child! And if you think this means that I am indebted to you after throwing me into a foreign place in such a disadvantaged state, you are sorely mistaken! In fact, I would say that this makes us even as far as…"

He quickly cut himself off in slight confusion as he completed his thought, _"…as far as **what**? It is not like he and I are keeping score on who does what to whom, as if this was some kind of friendly competition!"_

But even that conclusion didn't satisfy the ghost and he quickly threw it all away in annoyance for having lost control of his emotions.

He took in a deep ghostly breath in and slowly let it out before commanding himself, "Enough! And think like a hunter!"

Suddenly, the diminutive ghost startled slightly when he heard a strange beep coming from one of his robotic arms. He shifted slightly over to the binocular-like device mounted to the floor in the center of his robotic head that connected to his robotic eyes and peered through it. He strained to look down at that glued down arm because he still couldn't move his head very well from all of its damage.

Finally, he caught a glimpse of the area and instantly frowned. He hadn't recognized that beep at first because the slime covering it had muffled it. But now, he was sure that that beep was a signal from Plasmius.

" _What does he want?"_ Skulker first thought in irritation. " _He is probably calling just to complain about some trivial thing, as usual…"_

But then, the ghost's eyes widened at the realization. "Wait! _How_ can Plasmius be calling…unless he somehow got free?! Ha-ha! The pup must have gotten everyone out after all!"

Encouraged once more, the tiny ghost grabbed a hold of the emergency manual lever and renewed his efforts in getting it to budge.

But then, the beeping stopped. Though feeling his core sink a bit with that, Skulker pressed on until he halted in exhaustion several minutes later.

He panted to himself in frustration, "Oh, what is the use?! There is no telling when—or _if_ —this spirit webbing will even wear away! And I cannot believe that I actually wished that Plasmius had implanted some kind of tracking device into this suit…"

The ghost puckered his face. Did he?

"That would be just like him to do that and not tell me…" he mumbled in annoyance, before he dismissed the thought. "I am just going to have to float around here until…well, I do not know when!"

Now tired and upset, the ghost yelled out into the cosmos, "Could anything get any worse?!"

Suddenly, Skulker heard a loud, unsettling whooshing sound just ahead of him. He anxiously peered outward and saw a small ball of light jutting out from, but attached to, a large, green blur that was rapidly approaching him!

He tensed; and both sets of his eyes widened just before he finally saw what was a gigantic angler ghost fish opening its mouth, only moments from engulfing him!

In the next instant, the monster practically inhaled the hapless ghost hunter.

Now that Skulker was within its belly and surrounded by total darkness, he sarcastically added, "Of course, I just _had_ to say it!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The time bubble containing Clockwork, Danny, Sam and Tucker quickly dissipated and softly deposited them on the ground in Central Park.

A tense, unusual silence surrounded the foursome.

Old Man Clockwork could see that all of the teens were completely exhausted—and Danny looked the worst of the three. And really, underneath, the time spirit didn't want to say too much more. After all, he had already revealed a lot about himself that he usually kept to himself, especially those things that he wasn't proud of, like his past role when it came to the Angeli. He couldn't afford to have those things bother him or distract him from his duties...Still, he couldn't help but be a bit…worried about in what light these three special people might see him from now on. Because in the end, they depended on him and he would never want to lose their…trust.

At least, however, the Time Master could be a little more at peace knowing that he didn't influence Angelus-alvus's decision about his kin. And though he didn't want to waste any more time, he still had a few things to say to the teens, which was enough of a cue for him to break the silence.

As he morphed to his youngest form, Clockwork finally said to the threesome, "Just so you know, none of you have not been missed any longer than when Danny and Sam left Valerie's house to go look for you, Tucker. You should be able to get home and get some much-needed rest without worrying any of your parents."

He turned to the young hybrid in particular and continued, "It is truly unfortunate that nothing could have been done to prevent that injury to your ghost core, Danny. I was unable to penetrate the _Sfero de Ĥaoso_ any sooner than the moment I did."

Tucker and Sam instantly gasped and looked at their friend in worry because they, of course, had been unaware of what had happened in Ĉasista's lair while they were either gone or indisposed.

Danny blushed and rubbed the back of his neck in spite of the pain still throbbing in his core and stammered, "I-It's not your fault, Clockwork…And, er, even though I know that I don't have to say this, I kinda want you to know that I still think you're awesome, no matter what has happened—all of it. I know you did, uh, your best, as you always do and as you're allowed to do."

Though the adult time spirit was touched, he pursed his lips slightly and hesitantly pressed, "Even if it is very possible that you might not be able to heal from that wound since you were injured by a spirit?"

Once again, Tucker and Sam gasped in concern since they were burning to know what happened. But they managed to hold their tongues.

Danny, meanwhile, swallowed hard at the news but still replied, "Well, honestly, I never thought about that. And in some ways, maybe I kinda deserved it 'cause we wouldn't have had to go through all of this crud if I hadn't been such a jerk."

His lower lip suddenly quivering, Tucker immediately erupted, "Don't say that, dude! If anyone's to blame, it's me!"

The oldest form of the Time Master raised his hand to signal them to be quiet again, and the boys obliged him—though neither of them were satisfied.

Clockwork then turned to Sam and said, "I know, however, that you are on your way to recovery, 'Mistress Sam'. And don't worry. You will be able to return to where you want to be."

The boys' faces lit up in confusion as they looked between the spirit and the girl.

Sam merely blushed and slightly nodded, since she knew from her still-uncontrollable powers that Clockwork had somehow sensed her anxiety over not being able to overcome this new problem. Still, she managed to softly reply, "Thank you, Clockwork."

Once again, Danny and Tucker, trying to understand the spirit and girl's exchange, shot glances between them. Nevertheless, they opted to let it go for now.

Finally, young Clockwork addressed Tucker in particular, "And so, Tucker, it looks as if you had the most adventure of us all."

Tucker, however, was still upset over what Danny had said. He certainly didn't deserve the break that Clockwork seemed to be giving him at the moment. Instead, he swallowed hard in a mixture of embarrassment and shame as he blurted out, "Well, uh…uh, I never wanted that kind of excitement…but…I'm so _sorry_ for everything! This is all my fault! And…"

The teen suddenly stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to look and saw that it was Danny's hand on his shoulder before Danny said with a weak grin, "Hey, Tuck, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were sounding just like me!"

Tucker, however, didn't laugh or smile back. Rather, he choked back the pressure around his eyes and throat and continued, "I can't believe that I got you permanently hurt, dude! And Sam! I thought you were going to die! And I don't even want to think how even more badly all of this would have turned out if…"

Danny was quick to gently interrupt him with a slight smile, "Yeah, everything could have been much worse if it wasn't for you somehow convincing the Angelus to help—which from what I remember about him, was almost impossible to do! That took a lot of guts, man."

"And that would make you the hero!" Sam piped in.

"And if I recall, you were able to tap into some unexpected resources that didn't come from your—what do you call it—oh yes, your 'PDA'," the adult Time Spirit added with a slight lift of one of his eyebrows.

Tucker paused when he realized that everyone was trying to make him feel better, since, in reality, it _was_ his fault that all of this happened.

"Well," the bespectacled teen replied, "About that, uh, 'unexpected' stuff, Clockwork. I don't really understand it and don't even know if I can do it ever again."

"What are you talking about?" Sam then asked.

Tucker hesitated when he realized that his female friend had never seen what he thought might be his spirit energy in action. He said, "Well, it's a long story and…"

Suddenly, a red beam of energy struck the ground very close to the oldest Clockwork and carved out a small smoldering crater!

The three teens reflexively whirled around to face their attacker, while Clockwork remained stationery and calm.

Sam and Tucker then dove behind a bush. Danny, however, though upset that his ghost sense hadn't warned him, threw himself up into the air. But, no sooner had he done that when he hissed in pain. Nevertheless, he steeled himself and searched the darkening skies.

Sam saw another red beam rapidly approaching the youngest Clockwork again and she yelled out, "Look out!"

Yet again, the beam barely missed the Time Master!

Exasperated, Tucker yelled out to the time spirit, "Clockwork, aren't ya goin' to freeze time or shoot back or something?"

All of the sudden, everyone still on the ground looked upward when they heard Danny cry out:

"Valerie!"

A few moments later, both Danny and the Red Huntress were landing near the grounded group.

Valerie was still in the midst of apologizing to the young hybrid, "I'm so sorry, Danny! I didn't know it was you, honest!"

But when the girl hunter got a better look at her friend, she gasped, "What happened to you? Ohmigosh, are you all right? Did I hit you?! It's just that I decided to go out looking for Tucker myself when my sensors picked up a level-twenty ghost!"

"Spirit," the adult Master of Time casually corrected her before adding, "And the energy level is…temporary."

Valerie gasped and her eyes widened at the sound of the foreign voice, and then her mouth dropped open when she actually turned in the direction of where that voice came from and saw Clockwork.

"Valerie, this is Clockwork, the Master of Time," Sam smugly said as she came from behind the bushes. "Clockwork, this is our friend, Valerie."

Keeping her eyes glued on the spirit, the Red Huntress stammered, "Uh, uh, y-you're Clockwork?"

"In the flesh," Danny quipped before he slightly chuckled, "Uh, I mean, in the _ethereal_ flesh!"

Sam rolled her eyes but said nothing.

"And you're not a ghost but a spirit? There's a difference?" Valerie asked incredulously.

"Yes, Valerie," Tucker then piped in, who had also come out from behind the bushes right after Sam.

But before the boy could continue, Valerie excitedly yelled out, "Ohmigosh! Tucker! You're here! They found you! Where have you been? We've been worried sick and…"

"I am sorry to interrupt," old Clockwork then seriously injected as his face grew more somber. "But I have to be going now. I just have one more matter of concern to discuss with Tucker."

"M-Me?" Tucker barely choked out in surprise and sudden worry. He then desperately thought of the possible reason for the spirit's sudden stern gaze and quickly added, "Uh, Uh, if it's about what I did to your castle, I will do whatever…"

Once again, Clockwork the Youth cut off the conversation, and narrowing his eyes, seriously added, "I see that you will take your actions seriously and willingly accept any consequences starting from now on, then."

Tucker gingerly gulped and shook his head in agreement. His voice squeaked as he choked out, "Y-Yes, s-sir, and, boy, am I ever so sorry. A-And if I had it to do all over again, I…"

Suddenly, Tucker stopped in mid-sentence when he focused on the Time Spirit's hand in particular. His mouth then dropped open briefly before he haltingly continued, "Uh, I-I, uh, I…"

All of the other teens could also clearly see what Tucker saw: the adult Time Spirit was firmly holding a… **PDA**!

With no emotion in his voice, the spirit said, "No, it's not the _same_ one, if that is what you're thinking…Let's just say that the fifteen-years-from-now Skultech Nine-point-Nine did not fare well from my very short little fight with him after he made himself a most unwanted guest and abruptly left several pieces of him behind!"

The Time Spirit then motioned to Tucker to take the device from him.

At first, Tucker took an eager step forward before he stopped dead in his tracks.

Everyone was surprised by his actions except for Clockwork.

Tucker swallowed hard and said, "It was because I was so wrapped up with my old PDA that all this bad stuff happened….I really don't deserve having an even better one. Maybe I should just be plain me and try to help the best I can as a regular guy….Uh, maybe…"

"Maybe you can stop worrying about letting things go to your head when you have us—" Danny piped in before he glanced at the girls and continued, "—all of us— to bring you down to earth again. Trust me on this one!"

The dark-skinned boy bit his lower lip before he released it into a small grin. "Thanks, guys!"

He continued to step toward the morphing Clockwork and when he was close enough, he gingerly took the device from the spirit.

His smile widened as he eyed the PDA and sweetly said, "Glad to meet you, baby!"

When he had a strong feeling that all the other sets of eyes were focusing intently upon him with that remark, he looked up at them, smirked, and added, "Just kidding!"

Now satisfied that all his tasks were done, Old Man Clockwork raised his Time Staff up and announced, "I have taxed time too much."

Knowing that was their cue, Danny, Tucker and Sam chorused, "Thank you, Clockwork!"

Though a wisp of a smile tugged at one of the corners of his mouth, Clockwork only replied, "Time out!" before he disappeared within a portal shaped like a clock with its minute hand spinning…

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Young Clockwork sighed. He had arrived in the Realm Beyond Time within a blink of an eye, but he wasn't finished yet.

In fact, he had stopped at the entrance of his designation precisely at the same time he entered his home realm.

In some ways, he was relieved because he knew that he could no longer bear the extra power given to him because wielding it had really been a strain on him. He had had a throbbing ache in his core from the moment he increased in power and that pain had been slowly intensifying throughout the entire ordeal in the _Sfero de Ĥaoso_. Most ghosts and spirits would be puzzled by the fact that he could have commanded it at all in the first place, since each realm's amulet only responded to its corresponding spirit race. But only a few beings knew that as Master of Time, with his own special amulet, Clockwork alone had the privilege of wielding _any kind_ of talisman that had ever existed, even if he knew it was only temporary. And that was because he had to admit that La Unua was right: only _she_ could command all of the spirit amulets indefinitely and without harm because of her unique nature, whereas his wielding too much Timeless Magic would overwhelm and destroy even him in the end.

He paused as his mind shifted back to his task. He really dreaded this moment because he would have to deal with the Observants over this matter—even when he suspected that they had a hand in all of this.

Nevertheless, he raised his staff with the intentions of pulling off the morphed Observant orb from its top when he stopped to look at the palm of that same hand, which was his left one.

He slightly smirked as he looked at the still slightly glowing red scar the shape of the gem of the _Sfero de Ĥaoso_ that was in essence branded onto that hand, "Looks like Danny and Tucker won't be the only ones who have a lasting reminder of this ordeal…Maybe I deserved it as well…"

The spirit then pulled the Timeless Magic orb off of his Time Staff and slipped the Timeless Magic orb into one of the pockets of his cape. He immediately felt a tremendous drain of power and the ache in his core lessened. After another slight pause, he tiredly rapped his staff against the door in front of him.

An Observant servant quickly opened it.

Just as Clockwork melded into his adult form, he frowned in puzzlement. The servant had said nothing to him while opening the door, before then quickly ushering him in, and leading him to the High Tribune's chamber.

Once the two arrived at the chamber's door, the Observant silently raised his hand in signal for Clockwork to wait, which the spirit obliged before the servant went in and closed the door.

Finally, the same Observant came back out and simply said, "You may go in, Time Master."

"Thank you," Old Man Clockwork politely replied just as the two passed each other before Clockwork entered the room.

At first, Clockwork and the Observant twins—Justeco and Konsilisto—merely greeted each other with no words.

But then, the young Time Master broke the silence and said, "I see that you were expecting me…"

"Indeed, we were," Justeco said.

However, Clockwork could tell by Justeco's tone of voice that the Observant was upset. But he didn't comment about it.

"And we are so glad that you responded to our signal," Konsilisto added with some trepidation in his voice.

Though puzzled by their comments—since he had received no such recent signal—Clockwork the Adult remained silent.

With his eye conveying dismay, Justeco continued, "Remember the last time you were here?"

Clockwork slowly responded, "Yes?"

Justeco then glanced nervously at his brother and Konsilisto fretfully remarked, "We will have to tell him, brother. We cannot let this disaster be known to the others!"

Now Clockwork was worried that some kind of disastrous time anomaly might have occurred during his recent mission, something that he could very well have missed because he had been so…distracted by that mission. Still, he waited for the brothers to go on.

After a few more tensed moments that made it clear to everyone that the brothers dreaded continuing, Justeco anxiously spilled it out, "We somehow misplaced one of our Orbs! We don't know how that happened! True, when you were last here, it had accidentally fallen to the ground, but I know I put it back in its receptacle! But after you left, and I went to put it fully away, it was gone once again!"

"We looked everywhere for it, all in vain. And so, Clockwork, we were hoping that you could look into your Time Viewing Orb to see where it might have gone," Konsilisto added in exasperation.

Though the youngest form of the Time Master eyed them in suspicion, he slowly said, "I'm sure you did not need me for that. And though this is indeed serious, it has to be here somewhere—unless you have left your lair with the gem."

"No, I assure you that we have not!" Justeco insisted before he floated over to his desk, where the closed receptacle that housed the orb was sitting.

He began to open it and gestured with his bony green hand the proof that it was gone. And indeed, it was.

But then, the High Tribune suddenly gasped and reached down. He then brought the orb from up off of the floor, and nervously stammered, "O-Oh, m-my! H-How embarrassing! H-Here it is! I-I cannot explain it!"

"Yes! This is most awkward!" Konsilisto chimed in, the sides of his eyes actually blushing a bit!

Though the mature Time Master would never admit that he had taken advantage of what he suspected was another trumped-up scheme by these two and momentarily froze the brothers so that he could place the orb on the floor near the desk—something that he could temporarily do even in the Realm Beyond Time—he tersely replied, "Obviously, you both had somehow overlooked the fact that you did not put it in the receptacle correctly as you had thought and it must have rolled off the desk once again…."

Old Man Clockwork's eyes glinted in slight mischievousness as he continued, "But it is interesting how different it looks. If I recall, I believe the Orb was reddish in color, not a deep purple that it is right now."

He, of course, was hinting about the fact that he knew that the twins had morphed two orbs together—the Orb of Power and some Orb of Time.

Without missing a beat, Justeco hurriedly said, "Oh, that must be from the second blow it took from the more recent fall! I am sure it will return to its original color in no time."

"Indeed," the Time Spirit said in a tone that did not point out the obvious lie.

After a brief pause among the threesome, Clockwork tiredly said, "And now, if you will excuse me, I have neglected my time duties for far too long!"

"Indeed," Justeco said with a glint of mischievousness in his eye.

The youngest form of the Time Spirit turned to go, but then he turned back around when he heard Justeco speak again.

"And Clockwork?"

"Yes?" the time spirit tiredly replied.

"Thank you!"

"Yes, thank you, Time Master!" Konsilisto softly echoed.

A barely noticeable smirk tugged at the corner of the Time Spirit's mouth, though he did not reply and, instead, resumed leaving the room.

And once the door closed between them, the twins and the time spirit breathed outward in relief. All of them had the same feeling about this encounter. Usually their little mind games were a façade for the Observants' irritation with Clockwork's bohemian ways and for Clockwork's edginess in having to deal with the Observants. But now, all of them could not deny that in the midst of their usual seemingly indifferent banter, they sensed that each of them was preserving their pride and dignity.

For the first time, they treated each other with honest respect, which opened the path for what could be a beautiful friendship in due time…

 **THE END**

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

 **A/N: Well, dear readers, (sniff), there you have it: the end of this story! I sure hope you enjoyed the ride. And I want to thank all of those loyal reviewers who stuck with me through all of the delays with posting. I cherished all of your thoughts and think y'all are special to me because you took my wacky responses well! Seriously, I thank all of those loyal reviewers for their support. You make me want to write more! Sorry I didn't hear from the rest of you readers, but I thank you for your support as well. I have a few more ideas for stories in my repertoire, but when I post again is uncertain because, duh, I need to WRITE the next story before I can post! But I do have a working title. So, I hope you will tune into my next story,** _ **In the Thick of It**_ **, when it finally comes around.**

 **Until next time, dear readers! truephan**


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